The Navigator and the Prince(s)
by Teagarden
Summary: At age 20, Sanji is still a Vinsmoke and Nami is still enslaved to Arlong. Thanks to Nami's maps, Arlong rules over most of East Blue. Desperate to regain North Blue, Judge requests Arlong give him Nami's help and in exchange Germa 66 will aid Arlong in defending his territory. What better way to cement this alliance than an arranged marriage between Nami and one of Judge's sons?
1. Deal

**A/N: **I didn't want to post this until I knew for sure I would finish this story since I dislike leaving fics unfinished, but I just got too excited. Here's to hoping that excitement lasts until I finish writing this!

**Chapter 1: Deal **

"So," Arlong said, leaning back in his chair, "do we have a deal?"

Judge Vinsmoke hesitated only a moment, not wanting to seem too eager. This deal would benefit both parties greatly, but to show his true excitement would put him at a disadvantage. They were equal partners in this endeavor. There was no need for Arlong to know he was essentially offering Judge everything he had ever wanted. "Yes," Judge said, holding out his hand to shake the fish-man's.

Disgust flickered through Arlong's eyes, but he quickly replaced it with a sharp-toothed smile as he shook Judge's hand. "Excellent. I'll deliver the goods in two or three weeks."

Judge couldn't help the smile stretching across his face, despite the part of him that wanted to argue that was too long. He had waited years. A lifetime, even. He could wait a few more weeks. "Perfect. We'll have everything ready on our end."

~.~

"Why am I the one who has to get married?" Sanji asked, staring down at the picture of a redhead as he sat at a table.

"Are you kidding?" Yonji demanded, snatching the picture away from Sanji. "This woman is gorgeous! Just look at her. I'd trade places with you in a moment. Give her to me to marry if you don't want her." His eyes traced over the long red hair leading to the generous chest only partially covered by a tank top. The woman clearly didn't know her picture was being taken, which somehow made her look all the sexier. Soon, she would be living in the Germa 66 castle…and married to his idiotic older brother who _clearly _didn't understand the gift that was being placed right on his lap.

How was Yonji supposed to ignore the presence of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen? Even worse, to treat her like a sister since she would technically become his sister-in-law? He could hardly bear the thought.

"Like Father would ever allow that," Sanji said, catching the edge of the picture and dragging it back toward him. "He's already made up his mind and you know how rare it is that any of us can change it once he has. And I never said she wasn't beautiful. I'm not blind. I just want to know why _I'm _the one Father chose to marry this girl."

Sanji kept one hand firmly pressed against the picture when Yonji tried to steal it again. At least if he had to marry, it was to someone as gorgeous as this woman…but he hadn't even had an opportunity to date and he was only twenty, too young to get married.

He and his brothers were always too busy with military campaigns to spend much time around women. It wasn't like there were all that many in Germa 66. It was a nation mostly made up of loyal clones. Who were all men. Which made sense since they were all soldiers, but the point was that there were _no women around! _And he and his brothers were young, healthy males. This was the time of life each of them should be wooing women right and left and sowing their wild oats before they had to settle down and get married for the good of the Germa Kingdom.

Their father had _promised _that once they finally regained all of North Blue, then more women could finally be allowed in the kingdom and the brothers could sow their wild oats to their hearts' content…but clearly that would never be Sanji's lot in life since he was going to get _married _in a few weeks.

"Ichiji is the oldest," Sanji grumbled. "He's the one who should be getting married. Isn't that how it's supposed to work? The oldest gets married first?"

"That woman isn't of royal blood," Yonji sneered. "Since Ichiji is the oldest and heir to the throne, he obviously can't marry her. It had to be you, me, or Niji. And since _you're _the one who finally beat down the rebels in the latest country we took over, Father chose you to marry this girl. It's the only reason he chose you, because he's happiest with you at the moment."

Sanji looked up to see his younger brother gritting his teeth in anger. "You should be acting like this is the honor Father means it to be rather than a pain. It's thanks to this woman that we'll finally be able to achieve our dream of retaking all of North Blue. At least, according to Father that's true. And it's because of that woman that the Arlong Pirates were able to take over all of East Blue. If he can do it with her help, we'll be able to do it at least twice as fast if not even faster."

"I guess," Sanji said, his face twisting unhappily. It was easy for Yonji to be jealous when he wasn't the one who had to get married. Sanji would be plenty jealous if one of his brothers got to marry someone so beautiful. Of course, praise and honor _would _be heaped upon Sanji and his wife if the girl could actually accomplish what his father wanted. He felt his lips curl into a smile. If this woman really enabled the Germa Kingdom to retake all of North Blue, his father might consider making Sanji the heir to throne inside of Ichiji. Maybe this marriage thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

~.~

"There's my favorite navigator!" Arlong said, bursting into Nojiko's home.

Nojiko gasped and Nami leapt up from the table, her hand edging toward her staff before she managed to stop herself. Still, she couldn't make herself smile at seeing Bellemere's murderer in the place that had once been Bellemere's home.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, hiding her clenched fist by her leg. Here with Nojiko was the one place Nami got to be herself. It was the one place she didn't have to pretend to be a loyal member of the Arlong pirates. None of Arlong's crew ever came inside Nojiko's house. Hatchan sometimes came to fetch her, but he never went past the door. It wasn't like she spent all that much time here since she lived in Arlong park along with the rest of the crew. She had more than earned the right to have one safe haven.

"I'm here to give you the good news and tell you to pack your things," Arlong said.

"Pack my things?" Nami said slowly. "Where are we going?"

"_We're _not going anywhere," Arlong said, grinning "_You're _going to move in with your future husband's family to prepare for the wedding."

"_What?" _Nami shrieked.


	2. What Engagement?

**Chapter 2: What Engagement? **

"What are you talking about?" Nojiko demanded, standing and moving in front of Nami. "What wedding?"

"Your sister's, of course. She's getting married."

"To who?" Nami asked, her heart racing. What in the world was Arlong planning now? She hadn't heard of any plans even remotely like this. Did he owe a favor to some prominent fish-man who wanted to marry her? Or was it a corrupt Marine official who wanted to marry her? But what about her maps? Arlong had gained control of most of East Blue thanks to her maps, but she knew he wanted to rule all the seas of the world. There was no way he would just give her away to someone.

Her fists clenched and bile rose to her throat. It wasn't enough that she had to work for the man who'd murdered her mother in order to keep her village safe, but now she had to marry someone just because he dictated it?

"You have nothing to complain about," Arlong waved away, stepping farther into the home to spin around one of the kitchen table chairs and take a seat. "You're marrying into royalty."

"Royalty?" Nami repeated slowly. She was going to marry someone rich? Not that that made it okay for Arlong to decide her life for her.

Arlong nodded, his grin displaying his sharp teeth. "Yep. One of the princes of the Germa Kingdom." She frowned. She'd never heard of the Germa Kingdom. Did that mean it was some small, impoverished kingdom? If she was going to be forced to marry a prince, she wasn't going to marry a poor one. "It's a kingdom in North Blue, far away from our territory."

"And why does Nami have to marry this prince?" Nojiko demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

"Be careful, Nojiko," Nami hissed in warning, placing a hand on the small of her sisters back. Though Nami appreciated her sister's protectiveness, in front of Arlong was _not _the time for it. Nojiko knew that.

Arlong gave Nojiko a warning look that made Nami sick to her stomach.

"Nami doing this will benefit everyone," Arlong said, moving his gave from Nojiko to Nami. "The Germa Kingdom runs the Germa 66 army, the most powerful army within North Blue. They once ruled all of North Blue, but lost most of their kingdom after a short time. They want it back and believe they can gain it with your maps."

Nami's stomach twisted into knots. As though helping a pirate crew gain so much control of the world wasn't bad enough, now she was supposed to help a military do the same? "And how does helping them benefit you?" She asked. And why did she have to marry one of the princes to accomplish whatever benefit he was looking for?

"It's an alliance between our two groups," he explained. "The Arlong Pirates and the Germa Kingdom. They want your maps, and we want their military might to help take care of a few problems we've been having on the edge of our territory. We want this to be a full alliance that lasts for many years, so it makes sense to have a member of the Arlong Pirates marry one of the Germa princes. You'll still be making maps for me, of course."

"Of course," Nami ground out. "So, what happens if there's a clash because you both want a territory?"

"I don't currently see that becoming a problem," Arlong said with a shrug. "All Germa wants is North Blue, the territory they had before." He grinned. "I can be content with taking just the rest of the world."

Somehow, Nami doubted that either party could really be content with that. In her experience, those who wanted more power were never content. There was never a point where they held 'enough' power. It was a drug that continually required more and more to satisfy the craving. Whatever. It wasn't her problem. If this Germa Kingdom and the Arlong Pirates ended up destroying each other, so much the better for her.

"And what does Nami get out of this?" Nojiko asked. "You said this was the best plan for everyone."

Arlong raised his eyebrows. "She'll get to marry into wealth and power. Hasn't money always been her greatest desire?" His look turned cruel. "After all, she betrayed her own mother's memory for the sake of money."

Nami gripped Nojiko's arm, digging her nails in as a warning for Nojiko to be silent. Of course it was a lie. No matter what Arlong told himself, he had forced Nami into working for him.

"But she'll get more than that." Nami's gaze jumped to Arlong. What else? Something as 'beneficial' to her as all the rest? "When you and I first made a deal, I said that I wouldn't harm anyone from your village, or charge them a living tax so long as you would willingly work as my navigator." He paused. "If you marry this prince, I'll extend the deal to the entire island. Every citizen here will be free from the living tax and from any danger from my crew."

"The whole island?" She repeated numbly. She had been grateful that she could keep everyone in her village safe from both violence and from the terrible burden of the living tax by being the Arlong Pirate's navigator. The only time Cocoyashi Village had had to pay the tax was the day Arlong's crew first showed up on the island. Every year after that, they had been excused.

But Nami's guilt over the rest of the islanders having to bear such a terrible burden on their impoverished island hadn't been assuaged by the people she had been able to help, so she spent much of her free time stealing from pirates in order to help the other islanders pay their living tax. If she did this, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone from the island anymore…but there was still all the victims of the other places Arlong had conquered thanks to her, and now she'd have the added guilt of whatever this Germa military did too.

Not that she had much choice. She was well aware that if she didn't do what Arlong wanted, he would slaughter every last person on the island. She may feel bad for all the people under Arlong's rule, but at least they were still alive. So long as they were still alive, there were still reasons to smile, still reasons to hope. Whereas if she ever betrayed him, an entire island of people would be wiped out. No smiles or hope then.

"When do I leave?" She asked.

"Two days," Arlong said. "So pack quick." He stood and stepped toward Nami to place his hand on her shoulder. "I knew you'd make the right decision. You never let me down."

~.~

"You can't do this," Nojiko said as soon as Arlong left.

"Can't?" Nami repeated. "I'm pretty sure I have to."

"No," Nojiko said, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Absolutely not, not this time. You've already given Arlong way too much. You can't do this."

Nami knew Nojiko was speaking out of love, but still, her sister's words made her snap. "Do you think I want to?! Do you think I'm happy about going from being Arlong's pet navigator to his bartering tool? Excuse me, I mean _in addition _to being his pet navigator. If I don't do this—"

"He'll slaughter the people on the island," Nojiko finished calmly. "Did you think I'd forgotten for a moment why you've served him for the past ten years? Nami, you've done enough. You've done more than enough. Since you were just a little girl, you've lived your life for others." She gentled her voice. "You've been doing that for long enough. For more than long enough. I think you should run rather than marrying into some big military family. We can make a plan to try to save as many of the islanders as possible. We'll find a way to sneak them away and scatter them so Arlong can't find them. We—"

Nami put her hands over Nojiko's mouth to silence her, shaking her head. "It's too dangerous. I won't have the deaths of the people who helped raise Bellemere, of the people she chose to raise her children around, on my conscience. The only thing that would happen is that we would maybe sneak a few people away before Arlong found out and took me away by force. Plus, there's not enough time for us to come up with any sort of plan. I love that you want to save me from this, but…"

Nami's breath caught in her throat as she realized something. The Germa Kingdom was in North Blue, and as the wife of a prince, she probably wouldn't be delivering maps to Arlong directly. That would be the work of other people. Would she ever have cause to return to East Blue? The thought almost choked her. What if she never saw Nojiko again? The sudden irrational desire to ask that Nojiko come with her flashed through her mind. She knew Nojiko would come if she asked, but she didn't dare. She had no idea what her situation would be like. Anyone who would ally with Arlong couldn't be good and she couldn't place Nojiko in danger like that.

Maybe, if by some miracle, things were okay, she could ask her future husband if she could visit Nojiko, or if Nojiko could visit them.

Trying not to dwell on those thoughts, Nami threw her arms around Nojiko's neck, holding on tight. She didn't share her worries with her sister. This would be hard enough on Nojiko as it was. "I love you," she whispered. "And now everyone on the island will be free."

"But it's not fair," Nojiko whispered back. "Why is it always you? Why are you always the sacrifice for everyone else?" Nami had no answer other than that Bellemere hadn't raised cowards who would turn their backs on the people who raised them, but she didn't think that would help the situation right now, so she stayed silent.


	3. Why Him?

**Chapter 3: Why him? **

"Who is this?" Niji demanded, holding up a picture of a gorgeous woman. He and Ichiji had just arrived home from a military campaign. The pair had been on their way to report to their father when Niji spotted a picture laying on the table.

"What?" Ichiji asked, peering over his brother's shoulder. His eyes widened and he tried to grab the picture for a closer look, but Niji held it out of his reach.

"I saw it first," he said, clutching the picture to his chest.

"You don't even know who it is," Ichiji shot back. "Or _whose _it is."

"Neither do you," Niji sneered, forgetting that they were supposed to be to meeting with Judge. He pulled the picture away from his chest to peer down at it again. It was entirely possible that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. He wanted to see her in person. Now.

Yonji walked into the room at that moment, his eyes on the table. He frowned, then looked up at his older brothers, his eyes coming to rest on what Niji was holding. "Ah, so you've seen her, have you?" He asked.

"Seen her?" Niji and Ichiji echoed in unison.

"Who is she?" Niji asked.

"Our brother's fiancé."

"What?" The two oldest brothers said, once again in unison.

"Why does Sanji have a fiance?" Niji asked. "And since when? And why does he get to marry _her_?"

Ichiji smacked the back of Niji's head. "You forgot another important question. _Who _is she?"

Yonji mockingly shook his head at his brothers' ignorance. "Being away on campaign is no excuse for not following things at home. You have to stay up to date on important things. Things can change in a moment, you know."

"Just tell us," Niji said, gritting his teeth. He almost gasped when he realized he was crinkling the picture. He relaxed his grip, hoping he hadn't damaged it. Of course, it sounded like he would be meeting the woman in person at least relatively soon. Though it was unfortunate that it would be as his little brother's wife.

"You've heard of the Arlong Pirates in East Blue, I assume," Yonji began. "Apparently, much of their success in taking over so much territory comes from that woman."

Niji raised his eyebrow as he started at the picture again. This woman had helped the Arlong Pirates take over so much territory? How?

"She's some super special navigator according to Arlong," Yonji continued. "Her maps of East Blue gave Arlong's crew the knowledge they needed to take over area after area. Having a better understanding of the area gave them the upper hand in fights and let them plan when best to fight, when to hide, and when to lure their enemies into a trap. When Father heard, he wanted access to this woman, but getting past Alrong's crew wouldn't be easy, so they made a deal instead. The Germa Kingdom and the Arlong Pirates would forge an alliance through having the navigator marry Sanji. We now get the navigator's maps, and while Arlong still gets them as well, he also gets the benefit of having our forces help secure his border territories."

"Fine," Niji said. "That explains why she's coming here. But why is Sanji the one marrying her?" Not that he wanted to get married, especially to a woman of common birth, but how was he supposed to just ignore such a beautiful woman right in front of him? It would be hard enough even if there were plenty of other women around since this girl was uncommonly beautiful, but they didn't even have that. Just a handful of servants. And this woman would be right here, off limits and sleeping in his younger brother's bed. Every night. The jerk.

"Because Father's happy with him and wants to reward him," Yonji said with a shrug. "You know how annoying the rebels have been in the country of our latest conquest. Sanji lead the team that found the rebellion's leaders and destroyed them. Sucks, doesn't it?"

"I don't see what you two are getting so worked up about," Ichiji said, snatching the picture from Niji. "She's not of royal blood, she's a pirate, and we don't know anything about her. This might be more of a punishment than a reward for Sanji depending on what she's like. You shouldn't be lured in by a pretty face."

"Are you going to give us a lecture about how looks don't matter?" Yonji mocked. "Is this because you can't get any pretty girls to pay attention to you, so you think you'll wind up marrying a hag? That wouldn't look so good for our country, you know. A queen should inspire something other than disgust in her people. Even if she will just be a figure to stand beside you and support you."

Ichiji glared at Yonji, tossing his red bangs out of his eye. "No. I'm just saying there are important factors besides looks."

"You mean like the ability to enable a single pirate crew to take over a whole section of the planet?" Niji asked, snatching the picture back. "That sounds like an impressive quality to me. If she's able to help us reestablish the Germa Kingdom's original territory of all of North Blue, she'll be revered by our people."

Ichiji frowned as though that thought hadn't occurred to him. "We still don't know anything else about her," he muttered.

"Well, she's probably strong to be part of Arlong's crew," Yonji said, eyeing the picture in his older brother's hands. "Or at least a decent fighter. Everyone else in that crew is a fish-man. Arlong would never let anyone as weak as a human join his crew, yet this girl has been part of it for years. She has to be impressive."

"Whatever," Ichiji brushed off, stalking toward the door. "We're supposed to be reporting to Father."

Reluctantly, Niji placed the picture back on the table. He and Ichiji had been victorious in their campaign. If they had arrived home just a little sooner, would Niji be the one being rewarded with the redhaired bride? Putting the thought of his mind, he followed Ichiji.

Yonji looked around after to make sure no one was present before grabbing the picture and stuffing it in a pocket of his cloak.


	4. Anticipation

**Chapter 4: Anticipation **

"I couldn't have at least been given a picture of the guy?" Nami complained, leaning over the railing of the ship taking her to North Blue.

"Does it matter?" Hatchan asked with a shrug. "Whether he's ugly or handsome, we'll still get Germa 66's help with securing our territory. Isn't that the point?"

Nami glared at the ignorant fish-man. "And how would you feel about being forced into marriage to some ugly fish-girl, huh?"

Hatchan winced. "I guess I wouldn't like it. But the marriage isn't really the point, right? It's to help out the Arlong Pirates. It's an honor, Nami. And you'll be a princess! Won't that be cool? Bet you never thought that would happen. It's pretty crazy to think that you were born in such a poor village, yet will become the princess of a country with one of the most powerful militaries the world, don't you think?"

The worst part of Hatchan's words was that he was entirely sincere. He was either too stupid or too naïve to understand that Nami only served Arlong because she was forced to and that she wouldn't consider it an honor to marry a stranger to help out Arlong and his crew. And she didn't find the phrase 'one of the most powerful militaries in the world' terribly comforting. It most likely meant they were people with power who thought that meant they could push around whoever they wanted, just like Arlong's crew.

Still, if she _had _to marry this guy, it would at least be nice to know what he looked like. How terrible would it be if she saw some nice-looking man and thought he was the one, only to discover it was the ugly idiot standing next to him? Well, there was only two more weeks of traveling, and then she would find out. She couldn't figure out if two weeks of waiting was way too long or way too short. One the one hand, she wanted to get this thing over with. On the other, she never wanted it to happen.

~.~

"Please hold still, Prince," the seamstress requested, barely speaking above a whisper. "I want to make sure I get the measurements right. King Judge wants your wedding garments to be perfect and they must be ready soon."

Sanji rolled his eyes at the seamstress's timidity. He didn't like that in a woman. His father felt all women should be subject to men, but Sanji wasn't interested in dolls. He wanted someone real who would challenge and intrigue him. Soft words and demure looks simply didn't do it for him.

He hoped his future wife wasn't like that. He might have to take up a feisty mistress on the side if she was, but something like that could endanger the alliance and his father would be furious. Sanji sighted, knowing that no matter what situation he'd been thrown into, he'd have to bear it.

And he'd somehow lost the picture of his fiancé that he'd been given. He wasn't sure where it had gone, but he'd only looked at it a few times and his memory of the woman, Nami, he reminded himself, he needed to start thinking of her as Nami. It wouldn't look good for him to forget the name of his future wife when he spoke to her. His memory of her looks was already hazy and he was sure he'd only imagined that she was so beautiful. Yonji had probably talked up her looks to mock Sanji. Pirates weren't beautiful. They were ugly, unkempt rogues who did whatever they could to get by. Nami was probably average at best.

He sighed. Was average better than nothing? Probably not, but he supposed it was better than ugly, so he should at least be grateful for that.

~.~

Yonji stood on his balcony, nearly salivating at the picture he held in his hands. The wedding hadn't happened yet. It was still a few weeks away. They couldn't even start making Nami's dress until she arrived and the seamstresses took her measurements.

The sudden image of Nami in nothing but undergarments while the seamstresses measured her flashed through his mind. He bet she looked perfect like that. The picture showed that she was toned. He pushed the thought away and focused on what he'd been scheming before. Since the wedding hadn't happened, yet, it wasn't a done deal.

It may be rare that their father changed his mind, but it happened. If Yonji somehow pleased his father more than Sanji before the wedding, maybe Judge would change out the groom. Or if Nami really hated Sanji and wanted someone else. Her word should carry some power, right? So long as a marriage happened, the alliance would be set. The wedding was the important part, not which prince she married. Besides, it wasn't like Sanji wanted to marry her anyway. Yonji would just be doing them all a favor.

~.~

"Should be one more week now," Niji said.

"What should be one more week?" Ichiji asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

"One more week until she gets here. The navigator, I mean."

Ichiji rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "Are you still going on about that? The only good thing about her arriving is the maps we'll get. There's no other reason to be excited. She'll marry Sanji and then we'll probably only see her at dinner. It's not like much will really change."

Niji shrugged. "We don't know that. None of us have ever been married before. And, like you said, we don't know anything about her other than that she's an incredible navigator." He barely stopped himself from adding and that she was beautiful. He wished he could see her picture again, but she would be there in the flesh soon. To marry Sanji. Every time he thought of how nice it would be to see her, the thought was ruined by remembering that she was marrying Sanji. Such a pity and a waste. What did his little brother even know about women?

"Anyway, my point is that we don't know how involved she'll be in what we're doing. She can't exactly make maps just sitting in the castle, now can she? She's never been to North Blue before. She'll probably have to travel at least somewhat on campaigns with us to draw maps."

Niji almost sniggered at the horrified like on his older brother's face. "Does the thought of a woman on campaign terrify you that much?"

Ichiji scowled and jerked his book up to cover his face. "I just don't want some idiot to get in the way. If she puts herself in danger we'll have to save her. We don't need anything dragging us down when Father wants us to move forward our conquering time table. He thinks with this woman's help we'll have our full kingdom back within three years. We're going to have to work harder than ever."

Niji wondered if he was imaging the blush on his brother's cheeks. Probably. What could the stoic Ichiji possibly be thinking about regarding a woman traveling with them on campaign that would make him blush?

~.~

Reiju sighed as she threw another paper onto the floor. Her bed looked like she'd gotten a new comforter made out of newspaper. She'd demanded that every news article that could be found regarding the Arlong Pirates be brought to her. Her father thought she wanted to understand the weaknesses and strengths of their new allies better and she let him believe that.

What she really wanted was to figure out what kind of woman this Nami was, but she could find nothing about her other than her wanted poster with a bounty of 70 million berries. It was small compared to some of the other members of Alrong's crew, and Reiju hoped the fact that there was so little mention of Nami in the papers was a good sign, that it meant she wasn't a bloodthirsty pirate.

Of course, regardless, she was a pirate, but maybe there was such a thing as nice pirates? Reiju shook her head at her ridiculous thoughts. She knew she was being ridiculous, hoping that Sanji would be marrying some nice woman who would help turn him into a better man. Turn him more into who he used to be. He had mercy and kindness, unlike their brothers. Those traits may have been dulled through Judge's brutal training, but they were there.

Reiju had been praying for years for something to bring back that side of her brother. No matter how ridiculous it was, she hoped that this arranged marriage, that this navigator, would be what Sanji needed. Was it so wrong for her to want just one member of her family not to be the villain their father had raised them all to be?


	5. First Meeting

**Chapter 5: First Meeting **

"Are you serious?" Nami asked, her voice flat. "I have to wear _that_?"

"What's wrong with it?" Chew asked, looking at the flowy red material he was holding up. "Don't you want to make a good first impression when you meet your future in-laws? Arlong thought it would be tasteful, but still highlight your best features."

Nami couldn't believe that Chew, one of Alrong's top lieutenants, was giving her fashion advice. Or that Alrong had picked out a dress for her to wear upon meeting her future husband. Gross. Even creepier was the fact that the dress looked like it _would_ look good on her. Should she be disturbed that Arlong had good taste in dresses? At least, when it came to picking out a dress for her?

But that wasn't her real issue with the outfit. Her real issue was that it was a _dress. _The last thing she wanted was to give this Germa Kingdom the impression that she was a soft, flowery girl they could walk all over. She'd already had a plan for what to wear, and it was something a lot more tough looking than a dress. Still flattering, of course, since she knew making a good impression was important but she didn't want to wear something that made her look like a damsel.

"Here," Chew said, thrusting the dress at her. "Go change. We'll be there soon."

She gulped, looking at the horizon. She already knew that. They could spot the massive ship coming toward them. The ship was a _castle_. Apparently, even though the Germa Kingdom was recognized by the World Government, they didn't actually have land of their own other than what they had conquered, so the capital of Germa moved around on ships that detached from one another. When all the ships were attached, they formed a massive castle. Hatchan had explained that to her along the way.

Chew shook the dress in front of her face, looking impatient. "Fine," she growled, snatching the dress and stalking away.

~.~

The five Vinsmoke siblings stood with their father at the entrance to the castle, waiting for Sanji's bride to board the ship. Clone soldiers standing at attention lined either side of the path. They had to make a grand showing for their allies, after all.

Two large fish-men stepped onto their ship. An octopus fish-man held his hand back toward the boat and a much smaller figure in red appeared.

Yonji and Niji gulped, wondering what their first view of the navigator would be like.

~.~

Nami kept her gaze down as she walked. She didn't dare meet the gaze of any of the royals right then. The fury in her gaze would be too apparent. That wasn't exactly the best way to start off her relationship with her in-laws. Glaring wasn't generally considered a nice thing.

Chew and Hatchan walked on either side of her. They would be staying long enough to ensure the marriage took place, then going back to East Blue. Ridiculously, Nami was glad they were there. At least they were familiar.

The train of her dress dragged on the ground behind her, though the front only hit her at mid-thigh, exposing the matching red heels she wore. So impractical. Who would wear something so fancy on a ship? Her, apparently, which would just add to the exact image she didn't want to portray. The rest of the dress was form fitting, flowing over her hips and cupping her chest, ending just low enough to be mysterious rather than trampy. Thin straps covered the tops of her shoulders, leaving her tattoo of Arlong's jolly roger visible. She was sure that was purposeful on his part.

She gritted her teeth as they got closer. She would have to look up eventually, but she wasn't sure she could control her face before that point. She needed more time. She spent so much of her time acting, you would think it'd be easy for her, but this was different. This was a whole different group of monsters she'd have to help. And, this time, she'd have to marry one of them.

~.~

Sanji was so distracted by the perfect body encased in red coming toward him that he forgot to look up at her face. When he did, disappointment blossomed. She was looking at the ground, showing deference to the great Vinsmoke family. His father would say it was appropriate, but it was exactly what Sanji _didn't_ want to see. A meek girl all dressed up as though that would make him happy. He scoffed under his breath.

Then she looked up and Sanji lost his breath entirely. He'd been mistaken. Entirely mistaken. This woman didn't look meek at all. Her eyes blazed with a fire unlike any Sanji had ever seen. She didn't look like someone who would take orders from any man, not unless that man had earned her utmost respect.

Here was a force to be reckoned with. A beautiful, talented, perfect force. And she was his.

It wouldn't hurt anyone to move the wedding up by a week, would it? The seamstresses could work around the clock to finish the dress in time, because Sanji wasn't sure he could wait two weeks to be married to this perfection.

He tried to swallow and ended up coughing awkwardly, making Yonji smirk. He wanted to glare at his brother, but his cough had drawn Nami's attention, so he couldn't. He had to look stately to hopefully impress her, but from the look on her face, he was pretty sure she wasn't impressed by any of them.

For the first time since Sanji had heard about this arranged marriage, he was concerned. He'd been so focused on his anger over not having on opportunity to sow his wild oats, on his belief that he was marrying someone ugly, and his irritation over having to marry someone of common blood when all his brothers would probably marry royals that he hadn't stopped for one moment to consider the fact that _he _might not be good enough for _her. _

~.~

Red. Why was she wearing red? Ichiji had to fight the urge to pull at the collar of his cloak. It wasn't that hot and it would be uncouth to do that front of Alrong's crew. But she was wearing _red. _

Red was his color. The color of his raid suit. The color of his sun glasses. Everyone knew that red was his color, just like green was Yonji's, blue was Niji's, and black was Sanji's. _Black _was Sanji's, so why wasn't the woman wearing black? All dressed in red, she looked like…like she was there for him.

It meant nothing of course, so he tried to push the thought to the back of his mind. It wasn't as though the Arlong Pirates understood that each Vinsmoke family member had their own signature color. If they had, the navigator would be wearing a different color. Still, she did look very good in red.

~.~

"Welcome," Judge said, grinning as he greeted their guests. "You must be the famed navigator I've heard so much about. You're as lovely as your captain says."

Nami's eyes flashed darkly at Judge's words, catching Sanji's attention. Though it wasn't as though he'd looked away from her eyes for a moment since he first saw them. But what had that flash been? Was Nami not pleased with her captain forcing her into marriage to one of the Vinsmokes? Did she not want Sanji?

He gulped, not sure what to do with himself. How to stand, how to act, what to say. He had never felt so nervous and inadequate in his life, not even when his father condemned him for being weaker than his brothers and made him train harder than anyone else. How could this woman who he'd just barely met, hadn't even truly met yet, make him feel this way?

"There are my children," Judge continued. "Reiju, the oldest and my only daughter. Then my four sons beginning with Ichiji, Niji, Sanji, and Yonji is the youngest." He pointed to each son in turn as he said their name, then clapped his hand on Sanji's shoulder. "Sanji is the one you will marry in two weeks."

Nami stared at Sanji and he felt his palms began to sweat. Should he smile? Look dignified? He didn't know. She wasn't giving any sort of expression that clued him in on what sort of expression he should give in return.

Judge tightened his hand on Sanji's shoulder, indicating that he should do something. He hid his wince as he stepped forward, out from under his father's hand, to take Nami's hand, looking into her eyes as he kissed the back of it. That was an appropriate action under the circumstances, wasn't it? "It's good to finally meet you," he murmured. He still couldn't read her expression. Crap. Had that been too corny? Did she not want him to touch her? That would be a bit of problem since they were supposed to be married soon…

"It's good to meet you as well," she finally said. The sound of her voice made his heart flutter. Even her voice sounded strong. There was no hint of timidity to it at all.

"Yes, well, you must be tired from your long journey and there's much work to be done," Judge said.

Reluctantly, Sanji let go of her hand, though he felt he could have stayed like that all day. Preferably with everyone else leaving the two of them alone.

"Reiju, why don't you take Nami to begin being fitted for her wedding dress?" Judge said. Despite his wording, it was neither a suggestion nor a request. "We need to start now since the dress must be befitting of one marrying into the Vinsmoke family."

"Of course, Father," Reiju said, offering a smile to Nami. "Come with me, please." Nami obliged, trailing behind Reiju to follow her into the castle. The octopus fish-man waved as she left, wishing her luck.

Sanji couldn't take his eyes off Nami until she disappeared behind the castle doors.


	6. Future Sister-in-Law

**A/N: Guest reviewer** Oh my gosh, the thought of Arlong walking Nami down the aisle at her wedding…I feel like it's something he might do, but I think Nami would be ready to kill everyone in the room by the time she reached the alter.

**Chapter 6: Future Sister-in-Law **

"You look like an idiot," Niji sneered at Sanji once their father walked away to make plans for what the navigator would do first. Sanji was still staring at the castle doors where the redhead had disappeared through. "Does she have you wrapped around her finger after just one meeting? I never thought you would be the type to fall down at a woman's feet."

A tight ball of jealousy was fixed in Niji's chest, making him want to punch something. Why was Sanji the one who got to marry the navigator? Of course it couldn't be Ichiji since he had to marry a princess, but Niji was the next oldest. He should be the first to get married if it wasn't Ichiji. He'd never questioned any of his father's decisions before, but he couldn't support this one. No red-blooded man would _not _want that woman. Especially if she would be the one to help lead the Germa Kingdom to victory in their conquest through her maps.

Judge should have at least given his sons an opportunity to fight it out among themselves to decide who would marry the beautiful navigator. And Sanji was the least strong of the four brothers, the most vulnerable. Nami was a valuable asset to the Germa Kingdom, and should therefore be married to and guarded by the best. Maybe he should bring that up to their father…

"Shut up," Sanji snapped, flushing red. "You think I didn't notice you guys salivating at her? She probably had to watch where she stepped so she wouldn't slip in your drool."

"I have no interest in some common woman with no royal blood," Ichiji said, his voice cold. "I pity you for having to marry someone inferior, but I guess it doesn't matter since you have no chance of inheriting the throne. Maybe your children can still be nobles in the Germa Kingdom since they certainly won't be eligible to be royals with their mixed blood."

"If that's how you feel, why did you looked so stunned when you saw her?" Yonji asked lazily.

Ichiji glared at his youngest brother. "I'll admit that she's nice to look at, but that doesn't mean I would want to be forced to marry her."

"Then it's a good thing she's not marrying you," Sanji said, crossing his arms. Niji's words had made him feel defensive of himself, but Ichiji's words made him feel defensive of Nami. Ichiji had no right to speak that way of Sanji's future wife. He didn't have to get to know her better to know she was an incredible woman. "I'm going to marry the woman who will make it possible for us to regain our ancestral kingdom and birthright. You marry someone who's greatest achievement in life is that she was raised to know which fork to use at dinner and how to sip her tea properly." That said, Sanji flipped his cape and strode away.

Yonji stared after Sanji as he left. He had a point. Judge had raised them all to value their royal blood and want to marry someone of equal standing, but Yonji had never been terribly impressed with any of the princesses he'd met. He'd been holding out hope that there was a country out there as equaling warring as the Germa Kingdom with a princess who knew how to hold her own, but he'd seen no evidence of one yet.

Nami, however, was a member of a pirate crew, so presumably had at least some experience with fighting. She wouldn't be on his level, of course, but that wasn't what he was looking for. Yes, he wanted someone gorgeous who would make all his brothers and his people jealous, but he also wanted someone he could actually carry on conversations with and bounce ideas off of, not some pretty figure to go to official functions with him. Nami, from everything he knew about her, appealed to him far more than any princess he'd met.

~.~

Nami felt awkward being stripped down to her bra and underwear in front of strangers, but at least they were all women. Seamstresses fluttered around her, taking measurements, asking about her preferences, gushing about how beautiful the dress would be, and telling her how lucky she was to be marrying Sanji Vinsmoke. Reiju sat on a nearby chair, watching the whole proceedings, which was probably what made the situation most awkward.

"Do you ever have to do this?" Nami asked Reiju, more for something to say than because she cared.

Reiju shrugged. "I've had to put up with being fitted for fancy attire for several occasions, but never for anything as big or as important as this. Normally, there's only two seamstresses measuring me at most, but, as I said, your wedding dress is a much bigger affair."

"Like, literally bigger?" Nami asked nervously, imagining a monstrosity of a dress that resembled a wedding cake covered in bows and ribbons.

Reiju laughed at Nami's expression. "Only if you want it to be. The most important thing is that the dress shows off the wealth of the Germa Kingdom. It can be a simpler style and still do that."

Nami just barely stopped herself from prying more into the 'wealth' statement. Her first day there was not the time to dig into how wealthy her future-in-laws were. That would definitely be in bad taste. She could probably figure it out just from wandering around the castle. She was very good at figuring out the price tags of things.

Nami went back to answering the seamstresses' questions about dress preferences until Reiju said, "So, what do you think of your captain forcing you into a marriage with a Vinsomke?"

Nami froze. Reiju's tone was casual, but Nami was sure Reiju's response to Nami's answer would not be. "I had never heard of the Vinsmokes before," she said, which wasn't really an answer. Or, at least, not the type of answer she was sure Reiju was looking for.

"Really?" Reiju asked, leaning forward in surprise. "Never?"

Nami shrugged, and was then chastised by a woman taking her measurements. "I guess your family is more well known in North Blue than in East Blue."

Reiju seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Still, it can't be easy being thrown into a marriage suddenly like this, especially to someone you've never heard anything about."

Nami bit her tongue to keep herself from snapping a response. Of course it was hard. She was being torn away from everything she'd ever known due to the schemes of the man who'd murdered her mother and enslaved her. She'd held vague dreams that once Arlong had all the maps he needed, once he'd gotten everything he could from Nami, she would be free. Free to chart all the oceans of the world as she'd always wanted to. She would never be free now. Instead, she'd be trapped in a marriage to some blond prince whose family wanted to conquer and rule over a whole section of the world.

Alrong may have ruled the seas of East Blue, but his power on land only extended so far, and he didn't rule the people as their leader as the Germa Kingdom seemed to plan to do from everything she'd heard about them from Hatchan and Chew on the voyage to North Blue.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were unhappy about it," Reiju said softly. "Someday, my father will force me into a marriage advantageous for the family and I promise you I won't be going into it with a smile on my face."

The room suddenly got quiet, the seamstresses' ceasing their chatter and staring at the ground or out the window as though pretending they hadn't heard the princess's words.

Nami gave her future sister-in-law a speculative look. Was Reiju lying to make Nami slip-up and say something she shouldn't? Or telling the truth in the hopes of getting Nami to open up to her? Why? If it was the former, then perhaps Reiju was spying on Nami for her father. If it was the latter, would benefit would Reiju gain?

When Nami still didn't say anything Reiju shrugged. "Well, maybe that's just me. Maybe you don't mind your captain using you like you're an item for him to trade when it's convenient for him."

Nami glared. There was _plenty _she wanted to say on this subject, but definitely not to someone she'd just met and knew nothing about.

Reiju shrugged again. "Well, I have some work I should go take of. Let me know if you need anything or just want to talk." She paused when she reached the door, her hand on the handle. "Sanji isn't a bad man," she confessed quietly. "Though with the right help, he could be better." Then she left.

Nami blinked after her. Had all Reiju's questions really been about Sanji the whole time? He hadn't even entered her thoughts, but it sounded like Reiju was being protective of her little brother. Nami's lips curled into a half smile. Protective older sisters were something she could relate to.


	7. Dinner

**Chapter 7: Dinner **

"Why on earth do I have to change for dinner?" Nami muttered as she stared at the dress laid out on the bed that had been provided for her. After being poked, prodded, and measured for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, she'd been led to a bedroom as large as the home she'd grown up in. She assumed the room was a guest room since she'd only be sleeping there for two weeks. That thought made her stomach cramp with nerves, so she pushed it aside.

"Is it just because they're a royal family? What a waste of time and effort." With a sigh, she tossed her red dress on the floor and picked up the pink dress on the bed. It was a strapless evening gown with a slit on one side nearly up to the top of her thigh. She looked in the mirror, wondering if this dress was Reiju's. The two of them looked like they might be about the same size. The image somehow looked incomplete without long white gloves to cover her bare arms, but was improved slightly when she put on the white heels that had been in a box next to the dress.

She was happy to note that her things had been brought up to the room, but didn't know if she'd ever have the privilege of wearing her own clothes again. At the rate she was going, it seemed unlikely.

She was debating whether to leave her hair down or put it up when a knock sounded on her door. Warily, she opened it, hoping to find a maid on the other side. Instead, she encountered Sanji, who was wearing a suit this time. He seemed speechless as he looked her over and she had to withhold her smirk. At least her future husband had good taste.

Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "You look beautiful. Nami." It felt strange to hear her name coming from the man who would soon be her husband. The way he said it made her heart flutter, which was ridiculous. Money made her heart flutter, not men.

"Thank you. You look good as well." He beamed and this time it was a laugh she was forced to withhold. He looked so pleased at the compliment that it was adorable. And it was true that he wasn't hard on the eyes, so he at least had that going for him.

"I'm here to escort you to dinner," he explained, offering her his arm.

Tentatively, she took his arm, then cursed herself for being tentative. If she didn't do as Arlong wanted, he'd slaughter her entire island. She could play the part of the interested and excited fiancé…but she was so tired of playing a role. At least at Cocoyashi village, she had Nojiko she could be herself around. Here, she had no one. She wasn't sure she could stand it if she spent the rest of her life playing a role, and to her husband no less.

Maybe it was better to play things cool until she knew more about her fiancé and his family.

She caught Sanji giving her sidelong glances, but didn't pay much attention to it. She was well aware she was beautiful since it was a tool she'd used plenty of times in her thieving. Though the fact that her fiancé seemed enamored with her looks was definitely something she could use to her advantage. The next time he looked at her, she gave him a small smile and was pleased to see him blush.

"I'm afraid Father won't be able to join us this evening," Sanji said when they'd almost reached a pair of massive double doors. "He has plans to work on, but the rest of the family will be there." She imagined the plans dealt with war in some capacity or another and the thought made her sick. Everyone the Vinsmokes fought were probably only trying to defend their homes and their families while the Vinsmokes fought them merely because they felt that land that didn't belong to them should be theirs.

They entered the room to find the other four Vinsmoke siblings sitting to dinner, all dressed in fancy attire. She was a little disconcerted to note that there was no mother present, which probably meant there wasn't one since Sanji had said the rest of the family would be there. What had happened to her? Had she died? Or been disposed of? Nami hated having so little information about her situation. Even with the information Chew and Hatchan had given her, she still didn't know much.

The room fell quiet as everyone noticed them. The silence grew more awkward as the pair walked to their seats. Nami noted that Sanji didn't pull her chair out for when they sat. So much for princely manners. Of course, a country with a famous military probably focused on things other than how to treat women.

The brother with the red hair, Ichiji, was staring at her in a way that didn't feel friendly, though she couldn't decipher his expression through his sunglasses.

"Do you know that you're the first person to ever sit at this table who isn't of royal blood?" He asked, causing Sanji to stiffen next to her. "I never thought the Vinsmokes would sink so low as to let their dining table be defiled with impure blood."

Anger boiled through her and before she could control herself, she spat back, "Better impure blood than inbred blood. All you royals only marrying each other means eventually you only have distant relatives to marry."

Ichiji's grip on his fork tightened as his eyebrows came together. She assumed he was glaring at her.

Yonji coughed, but looked like he was trying to cover up a smile.

"You dare talk to me like that?" Ichiji asked. "I am a prince. You are a commoner. Do you understand the difference between us?"

A hand landed on her thigh and she was ready to smack Sanji before she realized the hand belonged to Reiju. Slightly, so that the others wouldn't notice, she shook her head. The thought of backing off and letting this pig win in any capacity left a bad taste in Nami's mouth, but she was in foreign territory and badly outnumbered. Even if Chew and Hatchan had been there, Chew would just tell her it was her duty to say and do whatever pleased the Vinsmokes so she wouldn't risk harming their alliance with Arlong.

"Growing up in a village with a mayor rather than an overlord, I can't say I'm intimately familiar with the difference."

"Well, there will be time for talking later," Niji said. "We shouldn't let dinner get cold."

Nami looked down at her plate to find a ridiculous number of forks. She imagined each one had a particular purpose. What an utter waste. They looked expensive and the Vinsmokes could make quite a bit of money from selling all the extra forks they didn't actually need. Then again, maybe the Vinsmokes were rich enough that it wouldn't make a difference to them.

Reiju leaned over and gently murmured what each fork was used for, which Nami was grateful for. Either Reiju was genuine in her offer to help Nami, or wanted to lower Nami's guard.

For some reason, Sanji smirked at Ichiji during Reiju's explanation, causing Reiju to frown harder.

Through the rest of dinner, the brothers made idle comments about various war campaigns to each other. Nami tried to pay attention in case any of the information turned out to be useful to her, but struggled to pay attention. Her food didn't catch her attention either since she didn't have much of an appetite.

After the awkward affair finally ended, they all stood, Sanji offering to take Nami back to her room.

"Wait," Ichiji said, crossing his arms. "Your bride needs to learn how to talk to her betters."

Nami's heart pounded as her hand inched toward her staff. Thanks to the high slit of her dress, it was easily accessible. Of course, if it came to a fight with her against the five of them, she wouldn't stand a chance. Still, she couldn't make herself stand still and be harmed or humiliated. She was strong, but not that strong.

"No," Sanji said, standing protectively in front of her. "Nami is my bride and a future member of the Vinsmoke family. That means you aren't her better, no matter what blood runs through your veins."

"Your pride as a Vinsmoke and a royal has always been pathetic," Ichiji sneered. "Father was always too soft on his weakest son. He should have thrown you overboard when you were a child and let you drown. It would have been a mercy for us all."

"Sorry, bro," Niji said, snatching Sanji's arms and holding them behind his back. "I like your fiancé, but Ichiji has a point about the difference between royals and non-royals. She needs to learn to at least show the proper respect due our family. Don't worry, Ichiji won't kill her. Father would be too angry."

"And don't mess up her face either," Yonji added. "Father would be pissed if she didn't look perfect for the wedding."

Nami's blood ran cold. These men were talking about brutalizing a woman so casually. As though it were something they did all the time. Reiju stayed silent off to the side. So much for her supposed ally.

"If you're not going to let Sanji intervene, does that mean you won't intervene as well?" She asked.

Yonji and Niji blinked at her. "What?" Yonji asked.

Nami repeated her statement. Yonji threw back his head and laughed. "You are one gutsy woman. Sure. We won't let Sanji intervene and we won't intervene either." One-on-one, maybe she could at least convince Ichiji she was more than he wanted to deal with.

Ichiji pulled back his fist and lunged quicker than she expected. She back pedaled, whipping her staff out and putting it together. She whirled it and gale force winds appeared, throwing him into the far wall. The room went silent and she couldn't help her smirk. In her travels to steal enough money to support all the villagers who had to pay the living tax to Arlong, she'd come across a floating island of men she'd called weather wizards at the time. She'd demanded they teach her everything they knew and had hoped to one day use the knowledge she'd gained to take down Arlong and his crew, but she'd yet to gain the courage and confidence to try. If she failed, the consequences would be too catastrophic.

"What was that?" Ichiji demanded, getting up again.

"You have your genetic enhancements, I have my own abilities," Nami said. "I imagine you're not used to fighting in a fight that's anywhere near fair." At least some of the knowledge her 'crewmates' had provided her was useful. She knew she did _not _want to take a hit from any of these people. They were supposed to be crazy strong thanks to genetics enhancements their father had forced on them.

"You think this fight is fair?" Ichiji asked, raising his head proudly. "You honestly think you have a chance?"

He came at her again and Nami slicked the floor with rain water. Thanks to the marble floor, Ichiji went crashing into the table rather than reaching her. The fight continued in that manner with Ichiji getting angrier and angrier. She was pretty sure it was a poor decision to enrage someone like him so badly, but she wasn't willing to let herself get hit.

Finally, Nami pulled out her last stop, electrocuting the redheaded prince with lightning.

"Enough," Sanji, said, finally freeing himself from Niji's grasp.

"Agreed," Yonji said. "I think the navigator has proved herself capable. Ichiji, if she's able to take you on this well, you should admit that she can hold her own. She is a member of the pirate crew who rules over most of East Blue. Were you really expecting a pushover?"

"If I had my raid suit—" Ichiji started.

"Do you hear yourself?" Sanji demanded. "This is a _woman._ Of course you're stronger than her physically. Only a pathetic, worthless _boy _would attack a woman, because no real man would." He didn't know where the words were coming from. It was true he'd never hit a woman, unlike his brothers who regularly beat maids who upset them. He didn't remember where his conviction came from that he should never hit a woman, but the thought had always been strong within his mind. "It's just like Nami said, you're too pathetic to fight fair, and a disgrace to men everywhere that would you want to fight not just unfair to begin with, but against a woman no less."

"Watch your tongue," Ichiji snarled. "You're just the third son and the weakest. What right do you have to speak to me like that? Maybe you're the one who needs to be taught a lesson tonight."

"Perhaps we should all take the night to cool off," Reiju suggested lightly. "Father has big plans he wants to put in place immediately, and if any of us do anything to set those plans back in the slightest, he'll be furious and we'll all pay."

"Fine," Ichiji growled, straightening his shirt before stalking out of the room.

"Why don't I walk you to your room?" Sanji offered again, and was grateful when Nami followed. When he'd first made the offer, it had been because he'd wanted to spend a little time with her without his brothers around. Now it was because he was afraid Ichiji would try to attack her when she was alone.

"I'm glad you're okay," Sanji told her quietly once they were in the hall. His heart was still racing. He'd been so afraid he was going to have to helplessly watch as she was hurt. He knew just how cruel his brothers could be. He didn't ever want to be in a situation like that again. He needed to train harder. "I know Ichiji was out of line, but please don't try to get into fights. Women aren't as strong as men."

"I can hold my own," Nami snapped back. "Even without my weather abilities, I can take on ten regular men with my staff."

"But my brothers aren't regular men," Sanji said, rounding on Nami so he could grab her arms and hopefully impress upon her the importance of what he was saying. "They're dangerous and cruel. I don't want you to sit there demurely and take their insults." He would have hated it if she'd done that. "But I don't want you to put yourself in danger either."

"I'm always in danger," she snapped back. "With my crew and here amid warring strangers wanting to use my abilities for the same reason as Arlong. That's why I learned how to take care of myself." She broke away. "I know the way back to my room. I don't need an escort."

Sanji watched her leave, angry and confused. Couldn't she see that he was looking out for her? That he was trying to protect her? He had a right as her fiancé, and obviously it was kind of him to do so since they didn't even know each other yet. Why didn't she appreciate that? And what did she mean when she said she was in danger from her own crew?


	8. First Voyage

**Chapter 8: First Voyage **

Sanji felt belligerent the next morning as he ate. He hadn't gotten Nami for breakfast, still angry over what had happened the night before. How could she not be grateful to him for stepping in to try to protect her? He had no obligation to do so. He could have taken his brothers' side…but he knew he wouldn't have been able to face himself in the mirror afterward if he had. He wanted to please his father, but he didn't want to be like his brothers.

Nami wandered in a moment later with Reiju. His sister must have gotten her for breakfast. He wasn't sure if he was ornery or relieved by that. On the one hand, he didn't want his bride to starve since it was his duty to look after her, but, on the other hand, she clearly didn't want him looking after her.

She wore only capris, sandals, and a tank top. It was perhaps the most dressed down anyone had ever been for a meal at the Vinsmoke's dining table. She still looked amazing. He quickly looked down at his food, unwilling to greet her. First, because she owed him an apology and he didn't want to talk to her again until she gave it. Second, because he was afraid he would compliment her on her looks.

"Good, you're here," Judge greeted. "You'll be leaving soon on your first mapping voyage."

"Why wasn't I told this?" Sanji asked, dropping his fork. "I have several meetings today I need to attend."

"Yes, you do," Judge agreed. "Which is why you won't be going. Ichiji and Niji will be leading the voyage."

Sanji was too stunned to say anything for a moment. The first words that popped into his head were, 'But she's my fiancé,' which Judge clearly knew, so stating the obvious wouldn't have helped with anything. But why was his father sending his bride off without him? And, worse, with the two brothers who were the most upset about how Nami treated them while being a nonroyal.

"But the wedding is only two weeks away," Sanji argued. "Is there really time for her to leave now?"

"The initial measurements for the wedding dress have already been taken," Judge brushed off. "Final fittings won't need to be done for nearly a week and they'll have returned by then. Niji and Ichiji have already been briefed on what path to take and when they will return."

Sanji made himself stay silent after that. Upsetting his father wouldn't help anything and he knew it would upset Judge if he tried to argue about his decision. The only consolation he had was that Ichiji and Niji wouldn't dare cause Nami much damage with the wedding so close, but they could still be cruel to her. He hated that thought. He knew very well first-hand how awful they could be.

~.~

"We should turn here to avoid that oncoming storm," Nami recommended. It was the third day of their voyage and she'd done nothing but chart the area, but when she looked up and saw the threatening clouds in the distance, she hadn't been able to stay silent.

Ichiji turned to look at the green storm clouds. "That's part of the path Father wants us take. We need to go that way."

"I didn't say we should avoid it," she said, keeping her tone even. She wasn't used to having her navigational directions questioned. Everyone in Arlong's crew new she was the best navigator and obeyed all her directions immediately. Arlong had once thrown someone overboard for going against her directions. He'd been fine since he was a fish-man, but he'd had to swim all the way back to Arlong Park. "I said we should turn here and then we would circle around. By the time we reached that area, the worst of the storm will have passed."

Ichiji was quiet for a moment as he studied the storm clouds, then shook his head. "You are here to draw maps, not give orders. It will be fine."

Nami shrugged. "Fine. Do whatever you want." She went back to the table she was using. The Germa Kingdom had base maps of North Blue, but she was improving upon what they had. At least she had state of the art equipment to work with. She had been nervous being sent off with the brother who'd tried to beat her up to prove a point and the brother who had restrained Sanji so he couldn't interfere, but nothing had happened yet. Hopefully, her luck would hold out.

~.~

It only took a few hours for the storm to come upon them. Nami and her materials were moved inside to protect the maps from the storm. They were of a high-quality material that could withstand the rain, but there was a danger of them blowing away.

She looked out the window again to see the crew struggling with the sails and shook her head. They were heading in the wrong direction. They would never escape the storm this way. They would get pulled along with it for who knew how long. However, Ichiji had already shown how little he was willing to listen to her advice.

A man holding onto one of the ropes was almost thrown overboard when the rope was ripped out of his hand, but Niji caught him and threw him back to where he'd been.

She bit her lip. She didn't want to wind up lost because Ichiji was too stupid to listen to sense. Maybe Niji would be more willing to listen. She had the feeling that wasn't likely, but she at least wanted to try. The storm was getting worse and it would be a long time before it stopped. With the strength of the storm and their position, they could be blown half way to South Blue before the storm abated enough for them to gain control if they didn't change their current course.

Mind made up, she stomped outside. Immediately, she was soaked. The rain felt like a thousand needles jabbing her. "Niji!" She yelled, holding onto the side of the cabin to keep her balance as the ship swayed from side to side. "Niji!"

She gave a frustrated growl as she moved closer. Niji wouldn't be able to hear her over the wind unless she was right next to him.

"Niji!" She yelled once she was a few feet away. The ship rocked just as she removed her hand from the cabin wall, making her stumble. She caught herself on the nearest available surface, which happened to be Niji's chest.

"What are you doing out here?" He demanded, grabbing her arms and yelling to be heard over the wind.

"Hoping you'll be smart enough to listen to me this time so we can get out of this storm!" She yelled back. "Hopefully before pieces of the ship start breaking off." Just as she said that, a loud tearing sound was heard. One of the sails had just ripped. Thankfully, not the one connected to the main mast. "You see?" She said, freeing one hand to point at the sail, part of which was now freely flapping in the wind. "We're at the wrong angle to weather a storm like this."

"What do you mean listen to you this time?"

"I told Ichiji hours ago that we needed to change our course, or would be trapped in this storm. He assured me it would be fine, but he's clearly not the navigational expert in the family. We need to turn to starboard and head west if we want to get out of this storm. Otherwise, we're going to stay caught in this storm for several hours."

"What is she doing out here?" Ichiji demanded, joining them.

"Trying to talk some sense into this crew before we get into even more danger," Nami yelled. Though Ichiji was close by, it was difficult to see him through the heavy rain.

"I told you you're here to draw maps!" Ichiji yelled. "What we do beyond that is none of your concern!"

"It is if it's putting my life at risk! If I was some run of the mill navigator, your father never would have demanded I be joined to your family by marriage. If your father thinks so highly of my skills, why don't you try listening to me and see what happens?"

"Nothing else we've been doing is working," Niji yelled to Ichiji. "Why not try it? It can't put us in a worse situation than we're already in." Without waiting for a response, Niji let go of Nami and left, yelling orders to the crew matching Nami's instructions.

She noticed that Niji had an easier time moving around the deck than anyone else. Those genetic modifications really did make the Vinsmokes different. She was once again glad Ichiji hadn't been able to lay a hand on her during their fight until she saw the aggravated look on his face. Just because he hadn't hit her then didn't mean who wouldn't now. Or later.

"I'm the best navigator in all of East Blue!" She yelled. "This is what I do. If all a navigator can do is draw maps and lead you around in calm weather, they're not very useful! Especially in the New World." She was grateful she'd gone on enough trips with Arlong's crew through the Grandline and New World to know how volatile the weather could be compared to other areas. "If you can't trust the word of your navigator in a storm, you need a different navigator."

Before Ichiji could respond, the ship rocked wildly as it began changing directions. She slipped on the wet deck, sliding toward the railing of the ship. Ichiji, who'd been much closer to the railing, was lifted off his feet. It almost looked like slow motion as he knocked into the railing before flipping over the side. She screamed as she lunged, holding onto the railing with one arm as the other reached for Ichiji.

He was already below the railing and she barely managed to grab onto his hand. Her heart jumped into hear throat as she realized how close she was to clearing the railing herself. If she had to move one more inch over, she was dropping his hand.

Before it became an issue, Ichiji gripped her hand and deftly hauled himself up until he could reach the railing and pull himself over. Still keeping hold of Nami's hand, he tossed her toward the cabin. "Get back inside!"

"You're welcome!" She snarled at him, clenching her fists.

He glared down at her, having lost his sunglasses in the fall. What kind of a person wore sunglasses during such a dark storm? "I'm wearing my raid suit, which can fly. I would have been perfectly fine without your help."

Nami flushed. These Vinsmokes thought of everything between their technology and their modifications, didn't they? "Fine. Next time, I'll let you save yourself." She whirled around, almost slipping again as she did so and carefully made her way back to the cabin.

~.~

The ship was sailing more smoothly by the time Niji came into the cabin. They were still within the storm's grasp, but out of the worst of it. Nami was standing by the window watching the waves rather than working on maps. She was still soaked and didn't want to risk smearing ink. If she messed up any of the maps, she'd have to do them again. Judge had made it clear he wanted all his maps of North Blue to be perfect.

She waited, but Niji didn't say anything. "What?" She finally asked. "Is something wrong?"

He took a few steps toward her, then his eyes seemed to catch on something below her face. She looked down to see that her wet shirt was plastered against her chest. Scowling, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Is there something you needed?" She demanded.

"You were right," he said, stating the obvious. "Our navigator couldn't get us out of the storm, nor was he able to avoid it. You would have had us avoid it from the beginning and easily got us out of it."

He was only a couple steps away from her now. "You're able to fight with technology that even the Vinsmokes have never seen, and do it well enough to hold off one of the princes of the Vinsmoke family. You navigate better than the finest navigator of the Germa Kingdom." He smirked as he looked her up and down. "And you're more gorgeous than any princess I've ever met." He leaned closer until Nami could see herself reflect in his blue sunglasses. "You just might be the only woman of non-royal blood worthy of the Vinsmoke family."

"Uh, thanks?" Did that meant he wouldn't support her being attacked again? "I guess you must be very happy for your brother not having to marry an unworthy commoner."

Niji's face twitched and she wondered if she'd offended him. She really needed to get better control of her tongue around these people. It was easy around Arlong's crew because her village and island were in direct danger if she did anything there. Additionally, at least there was a reason behind the fish-man claiming they were better than others. It wasn't a valid reason, but they were stronger and faster than humans and could breathe under water as they liked to brag. The Vinsmokes somehow thought their blood was different just because they were royalty.

Niji muttered something under his breath that sounded like "we'll see" before turning on his heel and leaving the cabin. Nami frowned, wondering if she'd misheard him. What on earth would have been saying 'we'll see' about?


	9. Worry

**Chapter 9: Worry **

Ichiji frowned as he took off his raid suit and water sloshed out of the boots. That shouldn't have happened. He tried to activate the hover function and nothing happened. A chill went down his spine. Water had clogged the machine. Meaning if that navigator hadn't grabbed him, he would have fallen into the waves.

Angry, he threw the raid suit on the ground. He had only ever hovered in light rain before, not a downpour with wind so heavy the rain struck sideways. Clearly, this was a flaw in the design and he made a mental note to have their scientists fix it immediately.

Stripped down to his dry boxers, he tossed himself onto his bed before frowning more deeply. _Why _had she saved him? Obviously, it wasn't out of loyalty as it would have been if any of the crew had saved him. And it wasn't out of admiration or respect. They despised one another mutually.

He rolled over, trying to put the question out of his mind. It was a stupid thing to bother him. What did it matter why she'd saved him? He was alive. That was all that was important, so now he should move on.

Thinking about that commoner was a waste of his time. Well, thinking about her while pondering over questions that didn't matter was a waste of time. She obviously _was _useful as a navigator. He remembered her words that a navigator who couldn't get you through a storm was useless. It appeared his father was correct that the navigator would be a useful tool to them. However, you didn't marry tools. You used them until they broke, and then you got a new one.

~.~

Sanji hoped his distraction wasn't obvious as he went about his meetings, but he couldn't stop worrying about Nami. He really wished he knew what was happening. What if his brothers were harming her, or being cruel to her, and she believed he was just like them? What if she came back hating him?

He should have made up with her before she left. Then she would at least be honest with him about what happened when she returned. If his brothers did abuse her in any way, they certainly wouldn't admit to it and she would have no reason to tell him about it if she believed he was a monster like them. Why had he been so stupid and let such a small thing stop him from talking to her when she would now be gone for days? He hated it.

"Care to tell me what's on your mind?" Reiju asked, catching up to him after one of his meetings.

Sanji raised his eyebrows. "You mean besides the country we plan to invade in three weeks?" He'd barely get any time with Nami as his wife before he had to leave for that military campaign. Assuming she even deigned to look at him once they were married, which she probably wouldn't do if she thought he was a monster.

Reiju raised her eyebrows back at him. "You kept looking out the window during the meeting. I don't recall you doing that before."

"Captain Raiku is a bore," Sanji brushed off. "I always struggle in meetings when he drones on. You must not have noticed before."

"Then did you bore yourself as well?" Reiju asked. "Because you looked out the window even when you were talking."

Sanji stopped walking.

"Are you worried about her?" Reiju asked gently. "About Nami being with Niji and Ichiji? They can't harm her too badly—"

"That hasn't been on my mind at all," Sanji lied, interrupting her. "Why would I be concerned about a woman I met five days ago?"

"She could be good," Reiju said quietly.

"I'm sure she will be," Sanji said, resuming his walk at a brusque pace. "Father wouldn't have had her brought her here if she wasn't."

"I didn't mean good at navigating," Reiju said, but Sanji was already turning a corner. She sighed. Of course he wouldn't talk to her about this. Why would he? Reiju herself had rarely tormented Sanji, but she'd always laughed when their brothers had. She'd always taken their side, too afraid they would turn on her if she spoke up in Sanji's favor. Not becoming their target had been more important to her than being there for Sanji when he needed her. She hoped Nami was stronger than she was and could be someone who would finally be on Sanji's side no matter the circumstances…but she was probably putting far too much hope in a woman who was just a pirate.

~.~

That night, Sanji lay in bed frowning up at his ceiling. He'd been recalling his argument with Nami, wondering how he could have handled it better, when he remembered her words about being in danger from her own crew.

When he'd first heard about Nami, he'd been surprised at a human being in the famous Arlong Pirates crew when he'd heard that only fish-min were accepted as crew. At the time, he'd assumed that Arlong made an exception for Nami because she was such an incredible navigator, but what if she'd been _forced _to join the Arlong crew because she was an incredible navigator?

And now she was being forced to marry someone she didn't know by a crew she didn't want to belong to. No wonder she was so unhappy to be there. Whether she thought he was a monster or not, she couldn't possibly want to marry him. The thought depressed him. And then his brothers had gone and treated her like that. What must she think of them all? Did she even want to be a pirate?

He bit his lip as he thought. Maybe…maybe he could save her from Arlong's crew. The Arlong Pirates were strong enough that Judge hadn't wanted to take them on to get at Nami, though if Arlong hadn't been willing to make a deal, Judge would have gotten her one way or another. Probably by sending Sanji to get Nami since he was Stealth Black, after all. He suddenly wished that had been Judge's plan. Then he would have been Nami's rescuer.

Being brought to the Vinsmokes wouldn't have been great, but surely they were better than pirates…hopefully they were better than pirates. Anyway, hadn't they heard rumors that Arlong wanted to rule the world? He may be content with the Germa Kingdom's help in controlling the borders of his territory right now, but he would eventually want more and that meant clashing with the Germa Kingdom at some point.

Wasn't it better to take him out earlier? Maybe he could talk to his father about it after he and Nami were married and Nami had proved her worth. They would have all the information they would need to take on Arlong's crew with Nami on their side. Heck, Sanji could just assassinate Arlong and that might cause enough confusion to disband the whole crew. Assassination was easy when one could blend in as easily as Sanji. Maybe then Nami would feel that he was a husband she could trust and rely on…but first he would have to make it up to her when she returned. He hoped it wouldn't be too late to get her to trust him, but that probably largely relied on how his brothers treated her. If only he could somehow know what was going on with the three of them right now.

~.~

_Ichiji and Niji better not be taking advantage of having Nami to themselves_, Yonji thought as he stared at Nami's picture. Of course, they weren't completely to themselves since a whole crew was on board with them, but still. Yonji knew what he would be doing if he was on board that ship with Nami. Surely privacy could still be found on the voyage ship in the cabin, or in one of the bedrooms on board for the princes…He hoped he was sent on the next mapping voyage with Nami. Preferably before she and Sanji were married. He needed to think of something to ruin that fast.

He had been so amazed when he watched her face against his oldest brother. She could _fight._ How incredible was that? How rare was that? He'd certainly never seen a woman fight so well before, and certainly not against one of his brothers. Leave the weak, docile, idiotic princesses to Ichiji. He wanted someone who could hold her on against the Vinsmoke family and challenge him on every level. Clearly, that woman was Nami.

Sanji wasn't good enough for her. He didn't deserve a woman of her caliber. But how could Yonji fix this situation? Was there a way he could make Sanji look like an idiot in front of their father? Or somehow make their father angry at Sanji? Since he'd given Sanji Nami because he was happy with him, maybe Judge take her away if he was upset with Sanji…


	10. Storm Pass

**Chapter 10: Storm Pass **

The moment Nami arrived back at Germa's main ship, she was whisked away for wedding dress fittings. She was relieved to see a lot less bows and material than she'd feared. Instead, the dress was formfitting, hugging her torso and flowing down her legs to end in a long train. There was a small bow on top and two on the sides near her knees that gathered the dress into soft ruffles. The top was strapless, though she had white gloves reaching almost to her shoulders.

If she actually wanted to get married, the dress would have been perfect. Oh well. At least she got to look tasteful for her forced marriage.

The same seamstresses as before surrounded her, plucking at the dress and making notes about what they would need to fix and asking if there was anything she wanted them to add or change. She tried to make herself answer all their questions, but was barely paying attention, too caught up in the reality that in a week she would be married to a stranger. Not only that, but a stranger belonging to a family that was allied to Arlong and conquered everything in sight with their military might. It had been a reality that was easy to forget during the few short days she'd spent mapping the sea. That was where she wanted to be, mapping the world instead of being tied down in marriage with the great privilege of helping yet more jerks conquer yet more innocent people.

Would the world be better if she just disappeared? She shook that thought off the moment it occurred, not willing to entertain it for even a second. That wasn't how Bellemere had raised her to think, and Bellemere hadn't died for her just for her to give up because things were hard. She had to keep going. Once she was married, her entire island would be safe and free from Arlong's living tax. That was something to celebrate, wasn't it?

She let the seamstresses' ramblings about how grand the wedding would be wash over her. She was sure they expected her to participate, but they were clearly far more excited about the wedding than she was, and she had nothing to contribute to the conversation anyway.

~.~

"I want you to go to Storm Pass," Judge told Nami the next morning at breakfast, an excited sparkle in his eyes.

"Storm Pass?" Nami repeated. She heard choking and saw both Yonji and Sanji struggling with their breakfasts. Either food had gone done the wrong pipe for both of them, or they knew of Storm Pass and had a less than positive reaction to it.

"Why?" Yonji asked, his voice rough. His gaze flickered to Nami. "Isn't our navigator too important to send there?" Our navigator. Like she belonged to the Vinsmoke family. She curled the hand laying in her lab into a fist where no one could see.

"Too important if she was at risk, yes," Judge agreed. "But, from Ichiji's and Niji's report, I believe she can handle it just fine."

Yonji and Sanji turned to look at their older brothers. Ichiji didn't look up from his food, but Niji said, "She got us out from a dangerous storm without any trouble when our own navigator was helpless against it. If _someone_ had decided to follow her advice from the beginning, we would have avoided the storm entirely. There's no one else I'd rather ride through a storm with than Nami."

"You see?" Judge asked, beaming. "She made our navigator, with years of experience, look worthless. I believe she can make it through Storm Pass and finally map that area for us."

"What is Storm Pass?" Nami asked politely, hoping she would get an answer this time.

"One of the most dangerous places on the sea within the New World," Niji said, leaning across the table toward her. "And it protects one of the wealthiest nations in North Blue, Yashta. The area is almost impassible. No navy or army has ever managed to make their way through it. They are either forced to turn back or meet a watery grave. As such, no accurate map of the area exists. No one has ever made it very far through."

"What about the wedding?" Sanji asks. "It's supposed to be in a week, but, no matter how well Nami navigates the storms, we're still likely to take longer than a week between the time we'll leave and the time we would return." He really, really hoped his use of the word 'we' was accurate and that he would be going with her this time. He hadn't even been told that she'd arrived back the night before. Shouldn't someone bother telling him when his fiancé was aboard the ship? He had more of a right to know than anyone other than perhaps his father.

"It will be fine," Judge brushed off. "It won't matter if the wedding is a few days late. Arlong doesn't care if any of his crew are present for the wedding, so it's fine even if Chew and Hatchan leave while you're away."

Sanji clamped his mouth shut. Of course it didn't matter what his opinion was. Why would it?

A wide smile spread across Yonji's face. "So, who's going with our navigator this time?"

"You are since there's rumors that Yashta's princess desires to meet you," Judge said, which wiped the smile off Yonji's face. "If Yashta's forces happen to spot our ship, we'll simply say that you were curious about the princess as well and wanted to meet her."

"You don't actually want me to marry her, do you?" Yonji asked, his facing turning a shade of green that matched his hair.

"Why not?" Sanji challenged. "I'm getting married. Doesn't that mean the rest of you should start thinking about it as well? Even if Nami can get us through the storms, if we can obtain Yashta kingdom easily by marriage, then why not do so? Isn't that part of the benefit of having five children? So you can marry them to advantageous marriages?"

"Nothing has been decided," Judge said. "We have far too little information about Yashta to make a decision like that. If their forces are weak because they rely on Storm Pass to protect them, then it would be a waste to marry one of you off to obtain their kingdom."

"That's right, gold is for winning," Yonji said, glaring at Sanji. "Military might is for alliances. Why would we want to join forces with some weakling just because their wealthy when we can easily take their riches for ourselves?"

"Who else is going with Nami?" Sanji asked, ignoring his younger brother.

"You are," Judge answered. Sanji's eyes lit up, but Niji immediately protested.

"Shouldn't someone who's already traveled with Nami go?" His eyes cut to his older brother. "I mean someone who's traveled with her _and _listens to her advice? I think the voyage through Storm Pass would go more smoothly that way. Even with Nami's skills, it's still likely to be a rough voyage."

Judge seemed to consider Niji's words, causing Sanji to hold his breath. Finally, he shook his head. "You've only been on one voyage with her. That's not enough to build up a rapport that would help in a situation like this, and I want all of you to gain experience working with her. She's our ticket to regaining North Blue. All of you need to know how best to work with her."

Sanji gave a silent sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Hopefully, the he and Nami would have some time to talk. Preferably, before they reached the storms, because they certainly wouldn't have time to talk once they did.

~.~

"And what's this tool for?" Yonji asked, pointing to yet another thing sitting on Nami's desk on the deck.

"That's to help me measure distances so my spacing on the map is accurate," Nami said, trying to keep her tone even. Yonji had been asking her questions, which meant interrupting her work, for the past half hour.

Surely, if Yonji had an interest in navigating, he'd had plenty of opportunities to learn more about it throughout his life. The Vinsmokes had plenty of them, none of whom gave her very friendly looks. Not that she blamed them. It couldn't be easy to be faced with someone so much younger than you, yet so much better at your job than you. Plus, she was currently the golden girl of the king, a position that she currently wanted to keep. Hopefully, none of the other navigators would try to sabotage her work.

"She's trying to work," a voice edged with annoyance said. "Why don't you leave her alone for a while?" Nami looked up see Sanji, leaning against the ship's railing with his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down his younger brother.

"Father said he wanted us to spend time getting to know what Nami does," Yonji argued. "That's part of why we're on this voyage with her."

"No, Father said he wanted us to learn to _work _with her, not to harass her while she's working. Why don't you go do something productive instead of bothering my bride?" Was it Sanji's imagination that Yonji twitched when he said bride? Sanji's hands curled into fists. His idiotic brother better not have been trying to flirt with Nami. Geez. Two of his brothers wanted to harm Nami to 'show her her place amongst the royals' and the other wanted to steal her. Sanji had never more strongly wished he was an only son than in that moment.

Nami looked relieved as Yonji left, grumbling under his breath. Sanji hoped Nami was grateful for his help…except she'd probably be more grateful for the help if he also left her alone to work, but he wanted to talk to her. They hadn't had a single opportunity to speak since she'd arrived back at the castle. It shouldn't be that hard to be able to speak with your fiancé, even if it was an arranged marriage.

He fidgeted awkwardly as Nami bent over her desk, making careful marks across her map. She looked completely engaged in what she was doing, which certainly wasn't how Sanji felt when he was out on campaign or discussing how best to defeat Germa 66's next target. He wished he had something he cared about that much. Regardless of how Nami ended up being a navigator for pirates, whether it was willingly or not, she was obviously passionate about the work.

Nami paused and glanced up when she realized he was still there. "Did you need something?"

He tried to give her a smile, but it felt more like a grimace. "Uh, I was just wondering how your first voyage went. Did everything go okay?"

"It was fine," Nami said, turning back to her maps. "Didn't you hear your father? We got through the storm fine and he was pleased with the maps I brought back."

Sanji's shoulders sagged. He didn't care about that. Well, they were good things and important things, but that hadn't been what he was asking about. "I more meant my brothers. They were okay? They didn't cause any problems for you?"

Nami paused again to look up at him. He couldn't read the look on her face, but it didn't look upset or negative. That was good…right? She could see that he cared? That he didn't just want to be a man she was forced to marry? He wanted to ask her about her service to Arlong and if it had been forced, but it didn't seem like the right time. And why would she trust him with information like that when they had spent so little time together?

"No," Nami said, her voice softer this time. "They didn't cause any problems." She hesitated before adding, "Thank you for checking."

She immediately went back to her maps, but that was okay because Sanji's heart was soaring at her words. She'd thanked him. _Thanked him _for checking to make sure she was okay. That was good progress, right?

~.~

"Lower those sails!" Nami ordered. "They'll be torn to bits in this wind and then won't do anyone any good. Head left!"

"Left?" The helmsman asked, balking as he looked at the waves coming from that direction.

"Yes, left!" She repeated. "We need to go left!"

The helmsman threw a pleading look behind Nami and she turned to see Sanji standing behind her.

"You heard the lady. This is the woman who your king says will grant Germa our greatest desires. Do as she says."

The helmsman gulped before nodding and turning the wheel. Nami barked orders at the men manning the sails to help the large ship make the turn. Moments after they changed their course, a tornado appeared and crossed the path they would have been on had they not moved. Several men stopped to stare.

Clearing his throat, the helmsman said, "Um, any other orders, miss?"


	11. Dinner and a Princess

**Chapter 11: Dinner and a Princess **

"Geez, I wish I knew where the kitchen was on this blasted ship," Nami said, leaning against the wall and clutching her loudly complaining stomach. She'd finally gotten them to a safe spot to lay anchor. There were storms close by, but they would be safe for a few hours. Between getting them through one storm after another and frantically jotting down notes to make maps later, she wasn't sure how long it had been since she'd eaten, other than that it had been too long. She was concerned that she might pass out before she found the kitchen.

"Nami? Are you all right?"

She turned her head to see Sanji poking his head out of a room, looking concerned. She tried to straighten, sure she didn't look too impressive leaning against a wall and looking like she might keel over at any moment. "Um, just trying to find some food. I skipped lunch and dinner…and maybe breakfast too."

Sanji cursed under his breath striding out of his room. "I'm sorry, I should have thought of that. You've been working harder than any of us all day and now it's late into the night. I should have thought of that. I'll go get—" He paused. He'd been about to say that he would go get the chef, but Nami was starving. To get the chef he'd first have to find him, then wake him, then he'd have to come up here…Meanwhile, they were only a few doors away from the kitchen.

He remembered cooking for his mother long ago when she'd been so sick. The results might not have been chef-quality, but she'd said she'd liked it. It had seemed to give her a little strength during a time she had been very weak. He hadn't cooked anything since she'd died, but surely he could come up with something acceptable.

"Come on," he said, holding his hand out to Nami. "The kitchen is this way."

He led her down three doors, then set her on a stool. "You sit there while I make you something, okay?"

"You know how to cook?" Nami asked. "I didn't think royalty did stuff like that."

She looked so impressed that Sanji wanted to declare he was the best cook in all of Germa 66…but it would become apparent in mere moments that it was a lie since she'd already sampled the cuisine the Vinsmokes normally ate. "It might be a bit of a stretch to say I can cook, but I can throw a few things together."

They were both silent as Sanji went to work. Meat was important. Nami should have protein after all the running around she'd done…and vegetables were good, right? They were supposed to help you be strong and a lot of dishes had meat and vegetables. They were like the building blocks of cooking, weren't they?

He stared down at the meat and vegetables as they cooked on the stove. You were supposed to use spices. That made things taste better, but beyond salt and pepper, he was at a loss for what to do. He knew the chef back home used a lot of spices. They always got new spices after conquering a new country, and the same dish made with different spices could really change the taste…but he was too afraid to try any. He didn't want to make the food inedible and make Nami have to wait even longer for something to eat.

He glanced at Nami, who looked like she might pass out and turned the heat up on the stove, wanting everything to cook faster.

Soon, Nami had a plate before her…but the vegetables looked soggy and wilted and the meat was black on the outside and pink on the inside. Clearly, turning up the temperature was not the way to cook meat faster, and turned vegetables into a mushy mess. Still, maybe it tasted okay? Food didn't have to look pretty to taste good…He changed his mind when Nami took a bite and winced.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his face turning red as he stared at floor. How pathetic was he? Had he really thought he could impress Nami by cooking for her? It was something he hadn't done in years. His talents laid with assassination and information gathering. He should stick to what he was good at.

"No, it's fine," Nami said, taking another bite. "Beggars can't be choosers, right? It's better than starving, I can tell you that."

"You've been starving before?" He asked without thinking. Nami's face shut down and he wanted to kick himself. He hoped he hadn't sounded like he was talking down to her. Oh, look at the poor peasant who didn't have enough food to eat when she was little. Why was this so hard? Men and women were meant to be together. It was a law of nature, the way the species perpetuated itself, so shouldn't it be easier?

Nami's mind flashed to the days when Arlong withheld food from her until she finished all the maps he wanted. She hadn't known a person could go that long without food and still survive. But Sanji didn't look like he'd meant anything by his comment. He actually looked a bit like a puppy that had been kicked. It wasn't a look she expected to see on a prince's face.

"I never would have thought a prince would make a meal for me just because I was hungry," she said softly. She felt Sanji's eyes on her, but kept her focus on her food.

Sanji was so surprised at Nami's words that he almost asked her to repeat herself. His heart felt like it would burst out of his chest. How did this woman make him go from feeling rotten to like he was floating in mere seconds? He clenched his fist as his gaze went to the terrible food she was eating. If she appreciated him making her food, then he wanted to do it again. He could get better. He would make time to spend in the kitchens so he could watch the chef.

The ridiculous thought crossed his mind that he wanted Nami to only eat his meals. He was a prince and a general of the Germa 66 army, he didn't have that kind of time…but that didn't mean he couldn't cook for her on special occasions. _If _he managed to make food worth eating. He didn't want to present her with something so unworthy of her again.

~.~

"Unfurl the aft sails and furl the fore sail!" Nami ordered as she prowled the ship. No one questioned her now. If only she could always sail with the same crew for these voyages, though she supposed Judge wanted everyone to learn to follow her orders as navigator. She hoped the rest of the trips would go was well as this one had, but doubted her luck would hold.

The ship was much steadier than it had been during some of the other storms, but tornados were appearing right and left. Without her training at Weatheria, she never would have been able to handle a crazy storm like this.

They crested and a wave and when they crashed back down, Nami felt the change in air pressure. The waves were much calmer here, almost as though they'd entered another sea. She frowned as she looked back to see the tornadoes still going strong. It was almost like there was a barrier, the change was so abrupt. Hearing gasps of awe, she turned to look in the other direction and gaped as well.

They could see a port that probably belonged to Yashta, and it wasn't that far. The storm had masked how close they were. Elaborate buildings guided in gold and gems lined the port. She nearly salivated at the thought of how much she could steal from a place like that…but they weren't supposed to land. Judge had been clear that this was meant to be an exploratory voyage and didn't want Yashta to be suspicious of Germa's intentions.

Seeing what looked like a royal ship approaching them, she thought that might be a little difficult.

"You there!" A man in a white suit with gold tassels hanging from his shoulders called. "You are trespassing on these waters. For what purpose have you come?" His eyes kept straying to the jolly roger, giving Nami the impression that the man knew exactly who they were.

"Our apologies," Sanji said, moving to front of the ship. "We didn't mean to end up on your shores so abruptly, but we got turned around in the storm." He turned to gesture toward Yonji. "My brother has heard of the renowned beauty of your princess and wanted to see her for himself." He shrugged. "I'm sure you are familiar with the folly of youth. Young ones in love can hardly be restrained from following their hearts."

She wondered if it was just her imagination or if Sanji's eyes had strayed toward her as he spoke.

The man's eyes cut to Yonji and narrowed. "Was it the fame of our princess that brought you here…or the fame of our wealth, Germa?"

"Germa!?" A tinkling voice that reminded Nami of a wind chime called out. "Did you say Germa?! Which prince is it?"

The man groaned and covered his face as a young woman with long blond hair reaching to her hips rushed to the rail of the ship, clutching the edge of it as her gaze moved frantically around the Germa ship.

"Come, little brother," Sanji said, smirking as he held his hand out. "Your princess wishes to gaze upon you."

Nami was glad that the Vinsmoke siblings' enhancements didn't include laser vision, because she was pretty sure that if Yonji could have killed Sanji with a look, he would have.

Stiffly, Yonji marched to stand beside his brother. The blond princess squealed before clasping her hands to her chest and jumping up and down. "It is you, it is! I can't believe you're here." She leaned across the rail, before grabbing the arm of the man in the white suit. "He's too far away! I can't see him properly."

Staring down his nose at the green-haired prince, the man said, "If you have truly come to meet our princess, surely you would not object to joining us for a meal." His gaze roved around the ship and his lip curled in disgust. "_Just _you. No one else is invited."

"My brother would be delighted to join you," Sanji said, clasping Yonji's shoulder. "I'm sure such a meeting is even more than he dreamed of. All he'd been hoping for was to catch a glimpse of you."

Yonji jerked away from Sanji and muttered something under his breath, but went across when the Yashta ship placed a boarding plank between their ships. Not that he had much choice.

"Well, it appears we'll be able to have a quiet evening without Yonji around," Sanji said, a bounce in his step as he offered his arm to Nami. "May I escort you to dinner?"

"All right," Nami said, smiling as she took his arm. Sanji seemed so pleased that Yonji wouldn't be present as he had for most their meals that Nami wondered if Sanji had been hoping to run into the princess from Yashta.

~.~

"Our meeting must have been fated," Princess Clarisse said, clasping her hands to her chest and fluttering her eye lashes. "I've wanted to meet you for so long. I don't like weak princes, you see. The princess should be the soft one in the relationship. I admire how strong you are." She giggled. "And you're also handsome, of course. Green has always been my favorite color."

Yonji struggled not to gag as he sagged in his seat. Being trapped in a room with a woman like this was in his top three worst nightmares. And here it was, coming true. He wasn't sure he could survive the next hour or so. Dealing with enemies and rivals was so much more fun when he just got to kill them.

Captain So and So who's name Yonji had already forgotten, cleared his throat and glared down at Yonji.

"Is the food not to your liking?" Clarisse asked in concern. "I know Yashta's cuisine is different from the Germa Kingdom's. I'm sorry, our chef should have been more sensitive to your tastes after you came all this way—"

"It's fine," Yonji brushed off, straightening in his chair. "The Germa Kingdom has food from all of—" He barely stopped himself from saying all the places they'd conquered. "All the places we've visited. We are a traveling kingdom, after all. The only one in the world. We've gained a lot of knowledge and culture from that."

"I know," Clarisse said. "I know all about you and the Germa Kingdom. It must be so romantic to have visited so many places." Right. Because tearing down walls and blowing up towns was always romantic. "But, I think that would get tiring after a while. It would be nice to have a stationary place to go home to that was always there for you, don't you agree?"

Ugh. Was she trying to look alluring? Princesses in poufy pink dresses with necklines up to their necks couldn't look alluring to him if their lives depended on it. Not that he would have found her alluring in anything. This woman embodied many of the things he hated about princesses.

"It's not what I'm used to," he said, trying to be tactful. He wasn't the politician among the brothers. Ichiji was the one sent out for that kind of thing. "I'm not sure what I would think of it. It might be nice."

"Maybe you won't know until you try," Clarisse said, her hand reaching for his arm. He forced himself to stay still and let her put her hand on him. Sanji would pay for getting him stuck in this situation.

~.~

"Have a nice evening?" Sanji asked with a smirk when Yonji returned. "Did you find your future bride tonight?"

Yonji growled under his breath and shoved Sanji, then he noticed that Nami was standing there as well. "Like I could ever be attracted to a weakling like that. She probably would have fainted if she'd been on board through any of the storms we've gone through in the past couple days. Why don't you tell Ichiji all about Clarisse since he's the one so set on marrying a proper princess."

"You don't want to marry a princess?" Nami asked, her eyebrows raised.

Yonji grinned, glad she'd asked. "If I could find the right one, but they're all too weak for my tastes. I'd much rather find a bride who can keep up with me." One who at least knew how to fight and could use science to her advantage. One who would be useful to Germa 66 and could go on campaigns.

He continued down the hall and called over his shoulder, "As a country known for its military strength, I think we princes should be focused on marrying powerful and useful woman like you rather than some princess whose most useful skill is her table manners."

~.~

Nami frowned as she watched Yonji leave. Like Niji and Reiju, he'd had no problem with Ichiji attacking her because she had dared to talk back to him when she didn't have royal blood. Had he really changed his mind about that? And, if he had, why?

"Sorry about that," Sanji said. "My brothers can be volatile sometimes."

"I've noticed," she said wryly, making him wince. "Though I suppose him not thinking only princesses are worthy of being married is an improvement." She paused. "Does it bother you that I don't have royal blood?" He hadn't given any sign that it bothered him, and just because she asked didn't mean he would answer honestly, but it didn't seem any of his brothers would have had a problem giving her an honest answer to that question.

"Delicate princesses aren't really my type," Sanji said. "I mean, they're fine, but I was dreading the day my father set me up in an advantageous marriage to the princess of some kingdom he wanted to ally with rather than conquer." Slipping his hand under Nami's hair, he brought a few strands to his hair and kissed the ends. "I much prefer my current situation."

The action was corny and ridiculous. Yet, it still made her heart flutter.


	12. Campaign

**Chapter 12: Campaign **

"There's no time for the wedding now," Judge informed Nami, Sanji, and Yonji the moment they returned and delivered the new maps to him. His eyes spanned across the maps rather than looking at the three, one hand possessively holding them to his desk as though some errant wind might blow into the castle and whip them away. "You need to leave in two days, Sanji."

"Can't Ichiji, Niji, or Yonji go?" Sanji asked desperately. He'd been afraid this would happen. "Or can't we do the wedding tomorrow?"

Judge finally looked up from the maps to frown at Sanji. "And how would it reflect on the Vinsmoke family if the first marriage of one of my sons was a quiet affair? We must have at least some royals there and a representative from the papers to report on how grand an affair it is. And you not going on this campaign is out of the question. You know this job requires stealth, and that's your specialty."

"Okay, so do you have a new date for the wedding?" Sanji didn't know why he felt panicked, but some part of him was afraid of Nami somehow slipping through his fingers. Since this deal was so important to both his father and Arlong, he couldn't imagine it not happening, but the fear wouldn't go away. He wanted to be married to Nami as soon as possible. Then he could leave without worry, though it wouldn't be his preference to leave her so soon after being married.

"Of course not. We don't know when you'll return. We'll make plans after this campaign." He turned to Yonji. "Did you learn anything about the strength of Yashta's military from speaking with the princess?"

"Their military might is not comparable to ours," Yonji informed him, straightening his spine as he spoke. "As we suspected, they rely a great deal on the protection that Storm Pass gives them. I think the royal family is overly confident in believing they're safe. By bringing a force in through Storm Pass, I believe we would crush them easily."

Judge nodded, his eyes gleaming with pleasure. "Good. We'll begin making plans."

Judge's and Yonji's words made Nami sick. She had no lost love for any royals since most existed to exploit and take advantage of their people. All they did was gain wealth through others' work, but a war would mean that innocent people got hurt. And she would be a part of that.

She hated this. She wanted to refuse to help and save the people of Yashta, but doing so would condemn her entire island to death. An entire people wiped out. She tried to console herself with the thought that Germa 66 would have attacked Yashta eventually anyway. They planned to take over the whole of North Blue and had already conquered several countries. All Nami was doing was speeding up the timeline and making things a little easier for them. All the people they would invade with her help would have been invaded eventually anyway. Maybe by making it easier for Germa 66, she was ensuring that less people would die in the process. She needed to hold on to that thought.

"Sanji, go find Niji and began finalizing your plans," Judge ordered. "He'll be going with you on campaign." He turned a smile on Nami. "Why don't you rest a bit? Your dress should be finished now, so you don't need to worry about anything for the next few days. In three days, I'll be sending you out again on the next voyage."

"Will I be going again?" Yonji asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'm sending Reiju for sure, but I haven't decided between you or Ichiji yet." He waved his hand at the three of them. "Off with you now."

~.~

Yonji felt giddy as he made his way to his room. The wedding had been postponed, and they didn't even have a date set yet. That didn't mean it wouldn't be soon, but it gave him a little more time to think of something…Maybe he should suggest to his father that he lead the campaign to conquer Yashta.

He could go in with an impressive force claiming he'd fallen so in love with Princess Clarisse that he had to have her and he'd brought all the most important members of his kingdom to have a wedding then and there if she would consent. They could infiltrate the country and conquer it in a night. That might make his father pleased enough to swap Sanji for Yonji to marry Nami.

~.~

"You want us to leave?" Chew asked Judge, crossing his arms. "The wedding hasn't happened yet. It was supposed to be a few days ago, but Nami and your sons hadn't returned from their trip yet."

"Yes, yes, and now Sanji needs to leave for a military campaign," Judge waved off. Sanji had a royal family to assassinate, and then a war to help Niji wage afterward. Countries were so much easier to take over when they were in disarray. "I'm not sure when he'll be back, and when he's back, Nami might be off on another voyage…I'm just not sure when the wedding will be able to take place right now. Things are very busy in the Germa Kingdom. I'll alert your captain when the wedding happens."

"Arlong told us to stay for the wedding," Hatchan said uncertainly. "We weren't supposed to leave until Nami was married."

"But I just told you I'm not sure when the wedding will happen. You're two of Arlong's top lieutenants. There's no need for you to stay here for an unspecified amount of time."

"Then just do the wedding now," Chew argued. "They're both on board right now, aren't they?"

Judge frowned. Of course this pirate wouldn't understand the importance of having a proper showing for the wedding of a royal. "This isn't the marriage of two commoners who can run off and find the nearest clergymen to marry them. My son is a prince. That means there must be dignitaries present. There must be announcements made." And getting out all the announcements that the wedding would be postponed had not been a simple matter. Luckily, he'd began sending them the moment the navigator and the others left for Storm Pass, assuming they wouldn't make it back in time for the wedding. Yes, the wedding was important, but it was just a formality. The maps were what really mattered. Sealing the deal with Arlong could wait.

Chew made a sound of disapproval. "Arlong wanted us to wait for the wedding so we could ensure Nami was being well taken care of. She's a precious member of our crew, after all. What are we supposed to tell him if we leave now?"

Judge narrowed his eyes. "Though she will still make maps for you, the navigator is no longer a part of Arlong's crew. She will be a princess of the Germa Kingdom. Obviously, she will be well taken care of. Your captain not trusting my word that the navigator will marry one of my sons is not an auspicious beginning to this alliance."

"We didn't say that Captain Arlong didn't trust you," Chew said, holding his hands up in a calming gesture. "We're just saying he wants to ensure you're holding up your end of the bargain. For Nami's sake, of course."

"Of course," Judge agreed. "Which is why I will send word the moment the marriage happens."

The three stared at each other until Chew finally nodded. "Okay. But if Arlong decides that isn't good enough, expect us back soon, and the wedding _will _happen right then if we return."

Judge gritted his teeth, irritated at being ordered around by a common pirate. And this one wasn't even a captain. "I will uphold my end of the bargain. I have nothing to gain from not doing so." It had felt outrageous when Arlong first suggested they cement their alliance by having the navigator marry one of his sons. They were royalty, after all, and the navigator was a commoner from some impoverished village, but he could see the benefits of having closer ties between himself and the Arlong Pirates. Such a relationship wouldn't happen if they only borrowed Arlong's navigator.

Luckily, Judge had a throw-away son. He'd never expected much from Sanji, so it was acceptable to have him marry a commoner, and the alliance had already proven to be absolutely worth it after less than three weeks. Nami was every bit as good as Judge had heard.

"If you're so concerned about the marriage not really happening, why don't I invite the Arlong Pirates to the wedding? I'm sure my soon to be daughter-in-law would appreciate having her crew there. That way, you'll know for sure that the wedding happened. Will that suffice?"

Slowly, Chew nodded. Arlong would probably appreciate being able to see Germa 66's main force up close. "That should work," he agreed.

~.~

Sanji hated this. He and Nami had gotten along so well on the voyage through Storm Pass. He wanted to take the time to build on that and grow closer to her, not run off for some military campaign. Did his father plan to give him any time with Nami after they were married? Since the marriage was merely for the alliance's sake, he had the sinking feeling the answer was no.

If he brought anything up with Judge, he would probably say that Sanji and Nami would have plenty of happy times together after all of North Blue was united under Germa's rule, and if Sanji wanted to spend time with his new wife, he should use that as motivation to work harder so they could obtain their goal faster.

He swallowed hard when he saw Nami walking in the courtyard by herself. He'd been looking for her to say goodbye since he had to leave in a few hours, but he didn't know what to say. Though they'd been getting along well, they were by no means close. Yet.

Hesitating only a moment, he stepped out where she could see him and called, "Nami!"

She turned and the sun glinted in her red hair. The sight made him catch his breath. She really was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "I—I wanted to say goodbye before I left."

Slowly, in case she wouldn't welcome the touch, he took her hand. "I wish I could stay here with you instead."

A vulnerable look flashed through Nami's eyes and he wondered if she wished he was staying too. He hoped she did. Her hand tightened on his as she quietly said, "Be careful, okay?"

A smile lit up his face. "Of course! I wouldn't want to make you worry." Despite his words, every particle of his being shouted for joy that she would worry about him. "You be careful too, please." He hesitated, then lowered his voice. "And let me know if any of my brothers bother you, okay?" He was about to apologize for being unable to protect her from Ichiji that first night before when he remembered how upset she'd gotten during that conversation and changed his mind.

She looked uncertain, and rather than pressing the issue at the moment he said, "I'll return as soon as I can." He only hoped she'd also be at the castle when he arrived back.


	13. Cooking Practice

**Chapter 13: Cooking Practice **

"Is that all we need to discuss for now?" Sanji asked Niji. The pair of them were having a council of war to make final preparations for their invasion as the ship carried them to their destination.

"Yes," Niji said. "I believe that covers everything." He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on the table as Sanji turned to leave. "How's everything going with your fiancé? Your voyage through Storm Pass is the most time you've been able to spend together. Assuming you managed to make time with Nami while she combated storms and made maps."

Sanji paused, wondering why Niji was asking. There was no way he cared about Sanji and Nami's relationship. He'd agreed with Ichiji that Nami should be 'shown her place' for speaking out against a royal family. Unless he wanted to mock Sanji for getting along well with a commoner. If that was what Niji wanted to do, he was welcome to. Sanji didn't care.

"Good," he said. "The marriage may have been arranged by Father and Captain Arlong, but I don't think either of us mind." At least, he hoped Nami didn't mind. She'd been worried about him, so that was at least an indication that she liked him, right? That she cared?

Not waiting for Niji's response, he swept out of the room. He had other things to take care of.

~.~

"Uh, is there a reason you wish to observe the kitchens, Prince Sanji?" The chef asked, sweating nervously. "Was your last meal not to your liking?"

"No, no, it was as fine as always," Sanji said distractedly, his attention on the way the chef's assistant was cooking garlic and onions. Were they always cooked together? Was there a purpose for doing that specifically, or were there times it was better to cook them separately? He could see that cooking them together might help the flavors mingle more. Then again, maybe it was a short cut to save time and wouldn't lead to the most flavorful outcome. "I'm just curious to learn a little more. Is there a point to cooking the garlic and onions together?"

"I—is there what?" The chef asked, looking confused.

Sanji pointed to the assistant cooking on the stove. He jumped at having the attention of a one of Germa's princes on him and dropped the pan that he'd been carefully swirling to move the garlic and onions around.

The chef cursed at his assistant for his carelessness before turning a smile on Sanji. "I'm terribly sorry, Prince, but mealtimes are very busy for us. If you have questions, perhaps you could come back later?"

Sanji rose his eyebrows at a chef giving him an order. The man may have phrased it as a suggestion, but Sanji knew orders when he heard them.

The chef began sweating again. "I'm terribly, Prince Sanji, I did not mean to overstep my bounds. Please, stay as long as you would like."

Sanji looked for another assistant doing something interesting. He spotted one cutting vegetables with impressive speed, but figured he should learn the basics of cooking before worrying over being efficient at it.

Looking around some more, he found one stirring vegetables in broth. Sidling up to him, he asked, "Is there a specific amount of time vegetables should be cooked in broth?" The memory of the mushy vegetables he'd served Nami was still fresh in his mind.

The assistant turned with an annoyed look, then paled when he saw Sanji. "It depends on how cooked you want the vegetables. If you want them softer, you should simmer them for longer. If you want them crunchier, you should simmer them less."

"What do you mean by simmer? And what's the benefit of cooking vegetables inside the broth versus outside the broth and adding them to the soup later?"

"Well," the assistant, began, drawing out the word. He was clearly confused being asked technical cooking questions by one of the princes of the Germa Kingdom. "To simmer something means you bring it to a boil, so there are bubbles visible at the top, and then turning the heat down. This keeps the bubbling going without the dish continuing to heat and overflowing. As for cooking vegetables inside the broth versus outside, if you cook it inside, you keep all the nutrients within the soup, so the eater gets the full benefit of the nutrients from the vegetables. If you cook them outside and add them later, you would lose some of the nutrients."

Sanji nodded, wishing he'd brought paper to take notes. "What else can you tell me about cooking vegetables?"

The assistant looked flabbergasted, but proceeded to answer Sanji's question.

~.~

Niji walked around the deck, too bored to do anything that required him to sit still. He wished it didn't take so long to sail to some of the places they conquered. He normally didn't mind since it gave him time to refine his plan and to train, but at the moment he would have rather been on the voyage ship with Nami…At least her marriage to Sanji had been postponed.

Idly, Niji wondered where Sanji had gone. Usually, he was one who liked to go over the plan multiple times to make sure everyone understood their part, but today he'd seemed antsy to leave. Niji couldn't imagine what Sanji could possibly be anxious to do on a ship out at sea.

Passing the outside kitchen, he saw a flash of blond through a porthole window. Frowning, he backed up, sure he must have mistaken what he'd thought he'd seen. Nope. There was his younger brother, standing in front of a stove flipping something in a pan while several assistant chefs stood anxiously around him. What on Earth was Sanji doing cooking in the kitchen?

~.~

Yonji was _not _sulking as he sat on an armchair in his room, his feet propped up on the glass double doors leading to the balcony. He was just thinking about how annoying it was that Ichiji got to go a voyage with Nami _without _Sanji. Not that Ichiji cared. He probably thought it was a pain, despite how amazing Nami had already proved herself.

That was fine with Yonji, though. Ichiji having no interest meant less competition. It also meant Ichiji was a blind idiot, but that was perfectly fine since it benefited Yonji. Stupid Ichiji.

His eyes roved around the room and caught on a gold vase encircled with jewels sitting on his dresser. He'd been so upset about not being chosen to go with Nami on the latest mapping voyage that he'd forgotten the thought he'd had earlier. If he made a plan to conquer Yashta, maybe Judge would give him Nami to marry.

He grinned as his feet hit the floor and made a beeline for Germa 66's war room. With everyone else away, he had an invasion to plan.


	14. Girl Talk

**Chapter 14: Girl Talk **

Ichiji seemed to have a new plan for dealing with Nami. Ignoring her. Not that she had a problem with it. It was far more pleasant than any of the other interactions they'd had and she sincerely hoped he continued to do it.

They hadn't bothered with another navigator for this voyage, deciding that she could chart her maps as well as navigate the ship. Obviously. What kind of a navigator couldn't do both at once? But she figured they'd originally included other navigators on these trips because of Judge's obsession with conquering North Blue. He wanted Nami's maps of the region as soon as possible and had feared acting as navigator while charting maps would be a distraction. After her performance through Storm Pass, he knew better.

She was once again working on her maps on the deck, though this time also giving navigational orders to the crew. She suspected that was why Ichiji had vacated the deck. He simply couldn't stand to see her being the one in charge. His attitude made her grateful she came from an island with no royalty. His arrogance was worse than Arlong and the other fish-men.

The beginning of the voyage passed quietly. The weather was pleasant and all the men followed her orders without question. It was amazing to see such a well-ordered crew. The way they did exactly as they were told when they were told to do it was eerie. The men had their own personalities, but they still reminded her of zombies with the way they followed Nami's, Ichiji's, and Reiju's orders. She figured they must have been raised since birth to be soldiers who only followed orders and it made her pity them.

A few nights in, Nami stood at the side of the ship and watched the stars. Her eyes were strained from charting maps all day every day.

"Mind if I join you?" Reiju asked, appearing at Nami's side.

"I'm pretty sure the stars don't charge for staring," Nami said, her gaze going back to the sky.

"I didn't ask if the stars minded, I asked if you minded." Reiju's voice held a touch of humor as she spoke.

Nami shrugged. "It's your ship, isn't it?"

"My father's ship," she corrected.

Nami shrugged again. Either way, the only authority she had upon the ship was that which the Vinsmokes chose to give her. Honestly, she'd been wondering if Reiju would take this as an opportunity to try to speak to her again. She obviously wanted something from Nami, but Nami still had no idea what.

"So, now that you've gotten to spend some time with your fiancé, what do you think of him?" Reiju asked.

"He's not what I would have expected," she answered slowly. He didn't seem to agree with his brothers that those with royal blood mattered more than those without. He worried about her and made food for her. Not good food, but still. Who would have ever thought a prince would make food for her just because she was hungry? Between all the Vinsmoke brothers, Sanji was clearly the best choice. She'd lucked out that he was the one she was marrying.

"Oh? In what way? And is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Nami turned narrowed eyes on the pink-haired woman. "What do you care? This marriage is about an alliance between your father and Arlong. It has nothing to do with Sanji and me."

"You're the ones getting married," Reiju argued. "So, yes it does."

Nami tried to tamp down her anger. She had no choice in the matter. Why did Reiju insist on continuing to push this?

"I'm only asking what you think of my brother," Reiju pressed. "Sanji is the first of my brothers to not only be married, but have a woman in his life. I'm merely curious to hear what someone who has not known them all their life thinks of my brothers."

"He's kind," Nami said shortly. "At least, more kind than any of his brothers." She almost said than any of his siblings, but thought it might be a bad idea to antagonize Reiju when the two of them were alone. This woman had genetic modifications too, after all. Nami had her climatact, but she preferred not to get into a fight with another Vinsmoke if she could help it.

"Kind," Reiju scoffed. "Yes, Sanji's always been Father's biggest disappoint. Cooking for the mice and making friends with them."

"That's better than being a bullying, arrogant prick like the rest," Nami snapped back, already forgetting that she didn't want to antagonize Reiju.

The princess seemed surprised and Nami figured she'd better leave before the woman recovered herself. "Excuse me, it's been a long day." Brushing past Reiju, her fists clenched as she stomped to her room. So much for her thought earlier that Reiju was being protective of Sanji. It appeared that wasn't her concern at all. Maybe she was only trying to gauge if Nami was 'worthy' to marry a Vinsmoke prince by seeing if she had the proper respect for them or something else equally ridiculous.

Fuming, Nami flung herself onto her bed and jerked off her shoes. From everything she had seen, none of the Vinsmokes deserved to have Sanji as part of their family.

~.~

Reiju smiled as she watched Nami stomp away, pleased with the navigator's reaction. Reiju had wanted to test what Nami thought of Sanji now that they'd spent a little time together, but hadn't expected a reaction like that.

The fact that Nami's first comment about Sanji was that he was kind and that she was protective of that was hopefully a sign that she was a good person and would therefore be good for Sanji. All Reiju could do was hope since clearly neither Nami nor Sanji had any desire to turn to her for help. Not that she blamed either of them for it.

~.~

"We'll be landing in that port shortly to replenish our supplies," Ichiji informed Nami without looking at her. Instead he fixed his gaze on the bustling port.

Nami clenched her jaw. They had been out for less than a week. Unless they were gathering supplies for the main ship, there was no way they needed more supplies. A far more likely scenario was that Germa 66 was scoping out this place to invade it.

"Do you ever go anywhere just because you want to go there?" She asked.

"What?" Ichiji was so surprised by the question that he looked at her.

"Do you ever go anywhere just because you want to go there?" She repeated. "You've traveled all over North Blue and been to who knows how many countries. You've had an opportunity few have had to see different cultures and different environments. Many people love the sea for the adventure of never knowing what they'll find next." It was part of why she wanted to map the whole world. If everything was the same, it would be boring, but there was so much variety in the world, so many new things to discover. It was the adventure and the wonder that drew her to navigating and wanting to map all of the world's seas.

"That's a waste of time," Ichiji scoffed, gaze going back to the port. "I have a mission to accomplish in life, and it doesn't involve traveling to a place for no purpose."

"Gaining new experiences isn't no purpose," she argued, her voice sharp, then muttered under her breath, "And that doesn't sound like much of a life."

She ignored the glare Ichiji sent her way.

"I wouldn't expect a pirate to understand much about duty and striving toward a goal other than thieving."

Nami stiffened. "Perhaps not, but I imagine _you _understand the thoughts of a pirate perfectly since your _duty _is to go around stealing countries from others."

Ichiji's eyes flashed, but Reiju burst between them a moment later, clutching the railing excitedly. "Nami, this port has a famous dress shop that we must go to! You have so few clothes and I doubt you want to keep wearing my dresses. We'll have to pick some things up for you."

"Um, sure," Nami agreed, surprised by the interruption. The princess seemed completely oblivious to the argument she'd interrupted. Ichiji scoffed again before striding away, his cape flapping behind him.


	15. Shopping Trip

**A/N: **Thank to everyone who has continued to support this story through reviews/follows/favorites!

**Chapter 15: Shopping Trip **

Nami felt like she was with a different person as Reiju kept up a happy chatter while they walked through the port. She'd insisted they stop at a café for breakfast, at a hat shop, and a pastry shop before even bringing up the famous dress shop again.

Nami considered herself decent at reading other people, but could not for the life of her figure out Princess Reiju. Was she putting on an act? Or was this how she acted when she was away from her family and her duty as a princess of the Germa Kingdom? She seemed to be enjoying herself more than at any other time Nami had seen her.

"Ooo, that store has lovely jewelry," Reiju said, pointing out a store front with gilded molding around the edges. Nami's eyes sharpened. She was more than happy to shop when someone else was footing the bill. It was about time she benefited from being forced to marry a royal. "But I think it's the man's job to buy his woman jewelry, don't you?" She winked at Nami. "It's a time-honored way for him to show his affection for the woman he cares about, so I think I'll leave the jewelry shopping to Sanji."

Despite Nami's disappointment, she blushed. Before she could help herself, she asked, "Why do you care so much about mine and Sanji's relationship?"

A sad smile crossed Reiju's face. "Father's word is law and what Father wants is always best." To Nami's ears, Reiju didn't sound particularly convinced about the truth of her second statement. "But that doesn't mean I don't want my little brother to be happy. Or you. If you're unhappy, he'll probably be unhappy too."

Again, Nami blushed, making her want to bang her head against a wall. She'd probably blushed more since coming to North Blue than she had in the past five years. What was wrong with her? But she couldn't help wondering if Reiju was right. Would Sanji really be unhappy just because she wasn't happy? They hadn't known one another long. And if Reiju really cared, why was she so obnoxious over Sanji being kind? Was it a trait the Germa Kingdom looked down on that much?

"Anyway," Reiju began, waving her hand as though brushing the thought away. "That's not what we're here for. Here's the store I wanted to bring you to." She gestured grandly at a store with ballroom gowns in several jewel tones displayed in the window.

They were lovely but… "Maybe after this we could buy more practical clothes?" Nami suggested lightly. "I will be spending most of my time charting maps and navigating, after all."

"I suppose for now you will," Reiju agreed. "But these dresses will be important later on, and you'll still have official functions where you'll need to have appropriate attire. We can buy you some other clothes after we pick up a few dresses for you."

Nami relaxed, grateful for that reassurance. Now she could enjoy the dress shopping more fully.

~.~

"This port will serve nicely as our base of operations to invade Quell," Ichiji commented to the clone soldiers following him as he investigated the area. Quell was a far more dangerous country than their current location. The king was bloodthirsty and ruled his country with an iron fist by use of his military.

Fen, the country who owned the port they were at, was a friendly country that welcomed visitors since much of their economy was based off tourism. However, while Fen's military was no match for Germa 66, Quell was too paranoid to allow its neighbors to be taken over without joining into the fight. When pirates had invaded this port two years prior, Quell had sent a force to exterminate the pirates long before Fen had been able to muster its military to come to its people's aid.

Being next door neighbors, it was only natural that conquering Fen would benefit Germa 66 in conquering Quell as well. The only reason they hadn't done so yet was because Quell would intervene the moment Germa 66 made a move on Fen. With the maps of the area that Nami had just finished, he could see the perfect plan of attack.

Fen had a great weakness that had never been apparent to Germa 66 before. They had coves nearby with little population surrounding them. It would be a relatively easy matter to hide and armada in these coves within a matter of only a week or so. With those forces in place, they could strike hard and fast, overtaking Fen before they could rally any forces or before Quell knew what was happening. Once that was accomplished, Fen would become their base of operations to conquer Quell. Walking through this port had showed Ichiji that it would work very well as their naval base in Fen.

Much as Ichiji disliked the navigator, he could admit that she was useful. It appeared his father was correct in his belief that they would conquer North Blue faster with her aid. Though her earlier comparison between pirates and the grand mission of the Germa Kingdom still infuriated him. How dare she compare royalty to filthy, low-life pirates? She really was an uneducated, low-bred commoner through and through. With an unusual gift for navigation.

He frowned when he spotted two clone soldiers standing outside a dress shop holding boxes, wondering what they were doing. Then he remembered Reiju's insistence that she and Nami go dress shopping that day. Reiju must have brought the soldiers along to hold boxes for them. He rolled his eyes at such a worthless use of such highly trained soldiers.

Through the glass windows, he spotted a flash of orange and paused. Nami was standing in the middle of the shop, wrapped in an off-the shoulder green evening gown with her wavy hair cascading down one shoulder while Reiju seemed to critique the look. The navigator looked like she should be at a noble dinner party rather than a simple port.

Ichiji scowled and continued his tour of the port to look for the best places to setup guard stations for the upcoming naval base. She was _not _worthy to be royal. Worthy to be a navigator for the Germa Kingdom, but _not _a princess no matter if she looked the part. She certainly didn't, and probably couldn't, act the part. And why on Earth was Reiju dressing Nami in Yonji's colors? She should obviously be in black since she was Sanji's bride. Not that black would suit her best. It was too dull and somber of a color.

He shook his head to dislodge those thoughts and quickened his pace. He didn't care what colors Reiju dressed Nami in or what Nami wore _or _how she looked in what she wore. The only thing that mattered was that she did her job as navigator and stayed out of his way.


	16. Journey to Yashta

**A/N: **People are still reviewing this, which I really appreciate…so here's a new chapter J I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 16: Journey to Yashta **

"Father, may I speak with you?" Yonji asked, entering his father's study late in the evening.

Judge looked up from what he was studying. "What is it?"

Yonji laid the invasion plan he'd created on the desk. "I have been thinking hard about Yashta ever since we returned. I believe I have a plan to take them down hard and fast with our navigator's help. Will you loan her to me upon her return?"

Judge was silent as he reviewed Yonji's plans, the seconds silently ticking by. Finally, he looked up to meet his youngest son's eyes. "Yes. You may have all the forces you've requested in this plan. I want you to enact this the moment she returns."

Yonji couldn't help his triumphant smile as he gave his father a small bow. He'd been half afraid that Judge would demand one of his brothers accompany him. "Of course. I'll have the soldiers start preparing my ship." He was more than happy to steal Nami away all to himself the moment she returned.

~.~

"The servants will carry all your new clothes to your room," Reiju told Nami as they arrived back at the main ship for Germa 66. "So, you can take the new maps straight to Father."

It felt odd for Reiju to put it that way, as though the term 'Father' for Judge applied to both of them. She supposed it would soon. Once she and Sanji married, Judge would be her father-in-law. The thought creeped her out. Far more than the idea of marrying a near stranger.

"It's okay for me to go to Judge's office?" Nami asked, double checking. It felt hard to believe she had the right to barge into the office of a king and hand him something. Even if that something was the reason he'd dragged her away from her home and was having her marry one of his sons.

"It's fine," Reiju waved off. "I'm not sure anything makes him happier right now then receiving more of your maps. He'll be pleased to see you."

Just like Arlong was every time Nami returned with more of East Blue charted. It was an unnerving comparison. At least she knew her way around the castle a little now. She waved goodbye to Reiju and went to the stairs.

She was a few halls away from Judge's office when she encountered Yonji lounging against the wall. He smiled and straightened when he saw her before taking the maps she held out of her hand and handing them to a passing servant. "Take these to my father," he ordered, then slipped an arm around Nami's waist and turned her back the way she'd come.

"Hey, I'm supposed to take those to Judge," she said, edging away from the green-haired prince. She quickly discovered his strength was more than something she could easily escape. If she wanted to remove his arm around her, she would have to turn this into a real scuffle, which she wasn't willing to do at the moment. "Where are we going?"

"There's been a change of plans," he said, grinning down at her. "You're to come with me to Yashta. Now."

"Yashta?" She repeated, dread settling in her stomach. "I'm going to navigate you through Storm Pass?"

"You're going to navigate a fleet through storm pass," Yonji corrected. "And then I will take them down. Don't worry, with your aid it should be a short war campaign. We won't be there for long." His smile grew. "In fact, I have a feeling this might end up being the shortest military campaign in Germa 66's history."

~.~

It was more difficult leading a fleet through an area of constant storms. Nami never could have done it if she hadn't been through the area before. The fleet setup a clever system to relay her orders from one ship to another.

She was stationed on Yonji's ship, of course. They'd constructed a covered shelter on top of the main cabin to give her a better view of the rest of the ships in the fleet. Yonji, for whatever reason, felt the need to be in there with her. Admittedly, he was helping to relay her orders to the other ships, so it wasn't as though he wasn't being useful. It just seemed like a menial task more suited to a common soldier.

He also helped steady her as the ship rocked wildly. The shelter was small, barely big enough for the two of them, and she would have gotten badly banged up without his help and none of the soldiers were strong enough to be as steady as him, but it still seemed like a menial task for a prince to be performing.

Another wave hit and Nami stumbled backward. Yonji caught her with an arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

"I'm good now," she said when a few seconds passed and he didn't release his grip. "I do fine when I'm watching the waves and anticipate which way we'll rock. It's when I'm watching the map that I struggle."

"Mm, but you need to keep watching the map, don't you?" Yonji argued. "Even you need to reference the map in an area as dangerous as this where we keep getting blown off course, and it's annoying to have to catch you every few minutes. I'm much steadier than you are. If I keep ahold of you like this, we'll stop having a problem."

She gritted her teeth. He was right. He hadn't stumbled once and was having to steady her frequently. It did technically speaking make more sense for him to keep ahold of her, as annoying as it was. "Fine," she bit out, returning her focus to the map. She would probably forget he was there soon enough anyway. Navigating the entire fleet through this mess of tornados and massive waves was taking all her attention.

Yonji smiled once her attention went back to the map, meaning she'd surrendered to staying in his arms. He was pretty sure Sanji hadn't been this close to her yet. Too bad Sanji wasn't around to see the two of them now.

They continued like that for some time. Eventually, Nami started leaning against him, sweat plastering her hair to her forehead. Unsure of what compelled him, Yonji used his free hand to brush the hair out of her face. She looked exhausted. He knew that normal people couldn't keep going for as long as he and his siblings, but they couldn't stop in the middle of a storm like this. Nami had to keep going until they reached the calm waters next to Yashta.

"How much longer?" He murmured, his gaze stuck on the sight of her leaning against him. Until just a few minutes ago, she'd been stiff in his arms, her whole focus on the map pinned to the small table in front of her. It felt nice to have her relax against him, even if it was because of exhaustion.

"We should reach Yashta before the end of the day," she said, pushing more hair out of her eyes. "It will be evening by the time we arrive." She glanced up at the black storm clouds above them. "Not that we can tell the time of day currently."

"You can rest once we arrive," he promised. Nami had no part in the plan once they reached Yashta. She would be staying on the ship with a few guards will Yonji enacted the rest of his plan.

~.~

By the time they could see a break in the storm clouds, Nami was swaying on her feet.

"Once we reach that break, we'll be in the calm waters and within sight of Yashta, right?" Yonji asked.

Nami nodded, mumbling something in the affirmative. It was adorable. And impressive. The soldiers manning the sails and following Nami's orders had had to be switched out partway through the journey in order to make sure they were fresh enough for the coming battle. Nami had been working the whole time, navigating for the entire fleet.

"Then we don't need you now," he said, sweeping his free arm under her legs so she was nestled in his arms.

"Hey!" She protested, her eyes snapping open. She looked more awake than she had in hours. "What are you doing?" She asked, pushing against his chest.

"Taking you to your room," he explained as he left the shelter. The storm had died down enough that only a light rain drizzled on them. "We can make the rest of the way to Yashta without you and you look like you might collapse if I sent you to your room on your own, so I'm taking you." He raised his eyebrows when she remained silent. "You're welcome."

She folded her arms and scowled, refusing to look at him. Part of Yonji was irritated she wasn't grateful for the help he, a prince, was giving her. Another part of him thought she looked adorable when she scowled like that.

~.~

Yonji's ship entered the port with him dressed in his finest clothing, his fleet behind him. Each soldier was dressed to the nines with not a single hair out of place. They had to be perfectly presentable for this act, after all.

A single ship confronted them soon enough. Yonji didn't miss the strip of gold running along the side of the ship. Even their vessels displayed the wealth of Yashta's kingdom.

"What are you doing here?" A man dressed in military clothing demanded. He narrowed his eyes. "Weren't you the one who was here recently? Prince Yonji of the Germa Kingdom."

"Yes, that's me," Yonji said, putting a hand to his heart. "I have returned so soon because I could not get Princess Clarisse out of my mind after our brief meeting. I've fallen so in love with her that I must have her as my wife." He gestured at the fleet behind him. "I've brought the most important courtiers and men from my kingdom so we could wed immediately if she would consent."

The man seemed too stunned to answer for a moment. "Well…I believe such news would please our princess…but you appear to be missing several important figures despite your claim that you've brought all the most important people from your kingdom for a wedding. Where are your brothers and your father? Are they aware of what you're doing?"

"Do you think the Germa Kingdom has so much free time that the entire royal family can simply pick up and leave?" Yonji asked, staring down his nose at the man. "I have a royal affidavit from my father stating that he approves of this marriage, though he was unable to come himself. I am, after all, only the youngest son." Though he didn't believe that fact would prevent him from becoming the heir apparent to the Germa Kingdom if he took over enough countries single-handedly with Nami's help.

"Still," the man said, suspicion clouding his eyes as he gazed over the fleet, "did you really need to bring so many people with you? And in war ships?"

"The Germa Kingdom has nothing but war ships," Yonji stated matter-of-factly. What on earth would they do with any other kind of ship? "And this is to prove my devotion to Princess Clarisse. If we were to be wed, the Yashta Kingdom would be under the protection of Germa 66. Though I may be a fourth son, I would not be bringing nothing to this marriage."

"And would receive becoming a king out of it," the man muttered, probably unaware of how good Yonji's hearing was. Little did the man know that Yonji would rather choke himself than be king to a woman like Princess Clarisse. Raising his voice, he said, "And, if the Yashta Kingdom were to refuse your offer…?"

Yonji was careful to keep the devoted look on his face. "I would rather discuss this with Princess Clarisse directly than some lackey who for all I know has no authority to make negotiations of any kind."

The man's face twitched. "I am sure the princess and the king would appreciate speaking to you directly. However, I am unwilling to allow so many foreign ships to dock at our port. This is simply Yashta's law, Prince Yonji, I assure you that no offense is meant by this. If you are truly sincere in your desire, then I don't believe you would mind boarding my ship and coming ashore alone."

"Of course not," Yonji agreed. If things turned sour or this was a trap, he was confident he could wipe out every last person on the ship in front of him if he needed to.


	17. Conquered Kingdom

**Chapter 17: Conquered Kingdom **

"Isn't young love so beautiful?" The queen of Yashta asked as she and her husband viewed their daughter speaking with Prince Yonji through a curtain. "It's so romantic that he's been able to think of nothing but Clarisse since they met."

The king made a noncommittal noise in his throat. He thought his wife was being overly optimistic. He imagined the Germa prince was drawn far more by Yashta's wealth than by Clarisse's beauty, but that didn't mean this would be a bad match. Prince Yonji had just proved that Yashta kingdom's famous defenses could be breached. It would benefit the whole country if they had the protection of the Germa Kingdom.

Kingdoms throughout North Blue were clamoring to have their daughters married off to one of the Germa's princes in order to protect their country from King Judge's mad scramble to conquer every last country in the area. And here he had one of the princes on his doorstep asking to marry his daughter. Regardless of Yonji's motives, the king would be a fool to refuse his proposal to Princess Clarisse.

~.~

"I knew you must have felt something just as I did," Princess Clarisse said, fluttering her eyelashes. "Though I didn't expect you to come back so soon." She giggled, her cheeks flushing.

What was with the fluttering eyelashes? Was there some etiquette teacher somewhere teaching princesses that fluttering their eyelashes made them look desirable? He thought it made them look like they had something stuck in their eye. If not for the reward waiting him at the end of this, presenting his father with a wealthy country that he'd conquered without his brothers, he never could have stomached this meeting.

"What you said about having a home to go back to really struck me," Yonji lied, taking the princess's hand. Her eyes widened as her gaze stuck on that point of contact. He struggled not to roll his eyes. From the strength of her reaction, you'd think he'd kissed her. Nami had reacted a great deal less to him picking her up and holding her close. Admittedly, the circumstances hadn't been romantic, but still. Nami would never behave this ridiculously.

"I'm so happy," Clarisse said, gripping his hand in return and scooting closer to him. "I know you'll have to leave a lot, but I'll be here waiting for your return every time."

"That's all I can ask for," Yonji said, smiling. Though he suspected his smile was for very different reasons than the answering smile Clarisse gave him.

~.~

The next day was a flurry of activity as things were prepared for the 'wedding.' The king of Yashta seemed as eager for the wedding to happen as Yonji was pretending to be.

That night, Prince Yonji's men slowly infiltrated Yashta's harbor, escaping notice as they moved in perfectly trained formation in the dark. Before the first light of the morning, he gave the signal for them to move. They struck silently and efficiently, wiping out most of Yashta's unorganized army before they even realized they were under attack.

By dawn, Yashta's flag flying from the top of the castle was replaced by Germa 66's flag. Yonji never even bothered explaining things to Yashta's royal family as they were thrown into their own prison. If they were too pathetic to suspect him and too weak to muster any fight against his forces, they weren't worth his time. Though he did appreciate how easy they made the takeover.

~.~

"You will be staying here to ensure Germ 66 remains in power," Yonji informed the soldiers trained to act as reagents while the Germa rulers were busy taking over the rest of North Blue. Who better to leave ruling in your place than someone literally created to follow your orders? "I will leave you enough forces to maintain this area in case anyone tries to rebel."

The soldiers saluted, showing their understanding of their orders.

"I'm taking as much gold as we can carry," Yonji informed them over his shoulder as he walked away. With all the soldiers they were leaving behind, they would be able to bring back quite the haul. His men had already started transferring the gold and jewels onto his ships. He couldn't wait to see the look on his father's face when he beheld Yonji's success and the wealth he'd returned with.

Making his way to the former Yashta Kingdom's treasure room, he surveyed the vast contents. The room was crawling with soldiers packing up containers and wheel barrows with gold. Not only was Yashta's wealth plentiful, but of high quality as well. He walked farther into the room, searching for something in particular.

He smiled when he found what he wanted, a delicate gold chain with teardrop jewels the same red as the dress Nami was wearing when they first met.

~.~

Nami was lounging on her bed when Yonji suddenly appeared in her doorway without bothering to knock.

"Hey!" She cried indigently before she could help herself. Swallowing the rest of what she wanted to say, she asked, "Is there something I can help you with?" She couldn't imagine what it might be. They were already to the country and her maps had gotten them there without a problem.

"No, we're done here," Yonji said.

His words gave her pause. Already? They'd already conquered Yashta's forces? Did that mean Yashta was incredibly weak or Germa 66 was just that strong? She knew Yonji had expected this to be quick, but she hadn't expected that to mean two days. She really hoped the short amount of time meant the takeover took meant there had been few casualties.

"We still have a few more things to pack up before we leave, but I wanted to bring you a gift." He held up something that dangled from his hand and glinted in the light. Slowly, she made her way to him, then inhaled sharply when she saw what he held. The necklace was beautiful and had to be worth a few hundred thousand berries.

"It's for you," Yonji said. "Why don't I put it on for you?" Without waiting for a word from her, he slipped behind her and brushed her hair out of the way.

Despite the beauty and costliness of the jewelry, unease churned in her gut. This necklace was won, was taken, through military might and had belonged to someone else. Possibly the princess who had been so enamored with Yonji. Of course, there was a good chance that if Nami was still living her old life she would have stolen such a necklace from some royal poof, but stealing jewelry and taking over an entire kingdom weren't really comparable actions.

But still, was accepting the necklace under these conditions really so different from what she herself would have done? It wasn't as though the former owner would have any use for the necklace now, and the Germa Kingdom undoubtedly planned to use the wealth of the Yashta Kingdom to add to their military might. Whether Germa had it or Nami had it, it wouldn't be with the former owner either way. At least with her it wasn't being used to buy up more weapons.

Yonji's fingers brushed her neck as he set the clasp on the necklace and another thought occurred to her.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why?" He repeated. "Why what?"

"Why give me this necklace?"

"Because I wanted to." His simple response had her turning to look at him.

"Are you sure a commoner is deserving of jewelry that once belonged to royalty?" She was relieved when he grinned rather than got angry. Something about the Vinsmoke brothers made it difficult for her to control her tongue around them. Probably their arrogant and grating personalities. Ichiji could give Arlong a run for his money over who was the most prideful over the blood running through their veins.

"Have I ever expressed a problem with your lineage?" Not by words, but he had by action when he'd condoned Ichiji attacking her because of the way she, a commoner, had spoken to him. "Besides, you'll be marrying a prince and will be a royal soon enough. Shouldn't you have some jewelry worthy of your new title of princess?"

For some reason, his words reminded her of Reiju's claim that a man should buy jewelry for his woman. It was a ridiculous thought to begin with and even more ridiculous for her to be thinking of it now in regards to Yonji.

"Well, it's lovely," she said, touching the largest ruby dangling at the center of the necklace. "Thank you."

Yonji's grin widened and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "My pleasure, Nami."

~.~

Yonji felt great glee as he witnessed his father's expression as Judge looked over the treasure he'd gained.

"You took over Yashta in just two days?" Judge asked.

"I knew my plan was good," Yonji said, justifiably smug. "And Nami's maps and navigational skills were perfect. There was nothing about the campaign that could have possibly gone better." He paused before adding, "The navigator and I work very well together."

"Good," Judge said, his attention still on the piles of gold in front of him. "I want all of you to work well with Nami. Your brothers and Reiju must learn to do the same."

Yonji gritted his teeth, irritated at his father's response. "As Germa 66's navigator, it's important that we all work well with her," Yonji admitted. "But would it be a bad idea for one of us to work better with her than the others? Maybe it would be best if she always, or, at least, usually worked with someone who was the best combination with her. After all, we should try for anything that might get us all of North Blue faster, shouldn't we?"

Those words were finally enough to get Judge's attention off the gold and on to Yonji. "You do have a point. What the two of you accomplished was impressive, even better than I was expecting. Still, the navigator must work more with each of you before I can determine if there is a best combination between her and one of my children."

"Of course," Yonji forced himself to agree, wanting to stab something. He'd taken over a country in two days. _Two days. _How was that not proof that he and Nami were the best combination? What more would he have to do to convince his father? Whatever it was, he would need to do it fast.


	18. Return

**Chapter 18: Return **

Ichiji wanted to kick Yonji. The idiot was walking around as though he'd managed to conquer all of North Blue by himself. It was only one country. One exceptionally wealthy and previously nearly impenetrable country, but still. Yonji may have come up with a good plan, but he never would have had the opportunity to think of it or execute it without the navigator. She was the brilliant one. If only she weren't so annoying.

And it wasn't as though Yonji would keep his title of being the first to conquer a country with Nami's maps for long. With the information Ichiji had gained of the sea around Fen, he would soon have that country conquered and Quell would follow shortly.

~.~

"Hurry, Prince Sanji, the time to act is now!"

Sweat beaded on Sanji's brow at the pressure and the audience he had. Still, keeping cool under fire was one of the first things Judge had trained his sons to do. With one smooth motion, he turned the stove off and removed the pan of sautéing onions from the burner. Next, he grabbed a spatula and spooned the onions onto the chicken. He couldn't keep the onions in the pan, or else the heat from the pan would continue to cook them.

The room of assistant chefs was silent as the head chef looked over Sanji's work. Sanji hadn't cooked the chicken. After ruining too many main dishes, the head chef had finally worked up the nerve to politely suggest that Sanji start with the basics and then move his way up, as others learning to cook did. For this meal, Sanji had only been in charge of the onions.

With a hand to his chin, the head chef nodded slowly. "The onions have a nice translucent color, though they're a little overdone for this dish. You can tell because of how limp they are."

Sanji sagged at the criticism, but the assistant chefs rallied around him, several chiming in with encouraging words.

"It's an improvement, Prince! You should be glad of that."

"You're progressing well. It took me much longer to be able to learn how to sauté onions properly, and you spend a lot less time on cooking than I do."

"I would be happy to eat those onions. As the chef said, the onions may be overdone for this dish, but they would work well in other dishes."

"All right, all right," Sanji waved off. "That's enough of that. Thank you, but I know I still have a long way to go." They were finally on their way back to the main castle. It had been a month since Sanji had seen Nami and he was surprised by how much he missed her. On the one hand, he never wanted her near the violence of conquering a country, but, on the other hand, he wished she could have come with him and been close by.

At least he'd been able to spend some time cooking. He still wasn't good enough to make anything worthy of Nami eating, but he was at least moving in that direction. Some of what he made was edible now. And the chef and assistant chefs had gotten used to him hanging around when he had spare time, so were more willing to share their tips and tricks with him.

It took a while for them to warm up to him and stop being afraid and silent whenever he was in the room. Sanji was sure the change happened due to the diligence he gave to their words. When they realized that he respected them as the experts and that he had no intention of dictating anything to them, they'd opened up a lot.

Luckily, Niji didn't seem to have noticed that Sanji was slipping off to the kitchens whenever he had spare time. In the back of his mind, Sanji remembered how furious his father had been when he'd spent time cooking for mice and his mother. But that was a long time ago, before Sanji proved himself a successful general for the Germa 66 army. Surely, even if his activities were discovered, things would be different now.

"Um, Prince Sanji?" One of the assistant chefs began. His tone was more timid than what any of the other assistants had used with Sanji in days. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes," Sanji said, cocking his head as he stared at the man.

"Um, you're one of the princes of the Germa Kingdom and a general of Germa 66. You will never need skills like cooking in your life…Why do you want to learn?"

Sanji felt his face heating up. No way could he tell anyone that it was because he wanted to make a good meal for his bride that she would enjoy. "Oh, I just wanted to expand my abilities," he lied. "I wanted to learn something outside of war tactics, fighting, and stealth. That's all."

A round of admiration went through the chefs that Prince Sanji would take the time to learn such a useful and vital skill even though he didn't have to. He was also pretty sure he heard mutters about him being better than his brothers for wanting to learn something that many royals would believe to be beneath them.

He was too relieved over them buying his lie to be happy that for perhaps the first time in his life, he had been complimented over his brothers.

~.~

When Sanji arrived back at the castle, he asked the first servant he saw if Nami was there. He was relieved to hear she was and immediately sought her out. He wasn't sure what she would think of him going to her, but he'd missed her. He hoped she had missed him too.

He was surprised to find her in a courtyard speaking to Reiju, but had no problem interrupting them. He couldn't imagine what Reiju would want to talk to Nami about, though perhaps she appreciated having another woman around to speak to.

Nami was facing away from him, so Reiju spotted him before Nami. He cleared his throat and Nami turned to look at him, her eyes lighting up for a moment when she saw him. That look almost made their month-long separation worth it.

He smiled and held out his hand toward her. "I was hoping I could steal my fiancé away." Though he didn't say it as a demand, he didn't really mean it as a request. Reiju had probably had more time to be around Nami than he had. A man deserved time to be with his fiancé, especially if he was still getting to know her.

"Of course," Reiju said. "I would hate to get between you two." She waved to Nami before walking away.

Sanji still had his hand held out and was starting to get nervous when Nami finally took it. He breathed a silent sigh of relief, but then wasn't sure what to do next. He'd sought Nami out because he'd wanted to see her and talk to her, but hadn't had any actual plans in mind.

"Um, did your voyage go okay?" He asked. What a stupid question. Obviously, she was safe, which was the most important thing, and since she'd had to go with Ichiji, that hadn't been a guarantee.

Her eyes darkened and she pulled her hand from his as she started walking. He followed along beside her, hoping he hadn't upset her. He didn't see how he could have since he only asked how things went, but maybe things had gone poorly.

"It was fine," she said, her voice deadpan. "Reiju took me shopping in Fen and bought me some clothes. Ichiji seemed pleased with what we found. Then Yonji and I went back to Storm Pass after I returned and he took over Yashta."

"He what?" Sanji asked, freezing in his tracks.

"He took over Yashta," Nami repeated. "He hatched a plan for me to lead a fleet through Storm Pass, then he tricked the royal family and took over the country in two days."

Sanji was stunned. Germa 66 worked fast, but 2 days was a record even for them. How had Yonji managed that? He pushed his jealousy out of the way when he realized that Nami was clearly not happy.

"What's wrong?" He asked. It sounded like everything had gone fine while they'd been separated, so there must be something she wasn't telling him.

"Nothing," she said, her voice still deadpan. "How did your campaign go?"

"Fairly well. We were able to subdue the country and the rebel forces in a month and leave our reagents ruling in our place."

"Rebel forces?" Nami scoffed. "Do you know what that word means?"

Sanji frowned and stopped, grabbing Nami's arm to halt her as well. "Of course I know what it means. Do you think I'm an idiot? I'm well versed in everything to do with war."

"No, I don't think you really are," she argued. "I think you're versed in your father's twisted version of everything to do with war. Rebel forces are people who fight against the established government, Sanji. The people fighting you were _protective _forces, the _rightful _army of the country you invaded, fighting you to protect their people was their job and duty."

"We are the rightful government," he argued. Maybe Nami didn't know the history of North Blue since she was raised in East Blue. "We're working to take back what is ours."

"Yours? Your family _conquered _land belonging to others _centuries _ago and then lost it _centuries _ago. What you're trying to take isn't land that rightfully belongs to you or ever really belonged to you. You're working to steal land that belongs to others and never rightfully belonged to your family. You're no better than pirates. You have no more right to take over these countries than the Arlong Pirates do to take over East Blue."

"The land belongs to whoever is powerful enough to take it and maintain it," Sanji snapped back. "If these countries aren't good enough to prevent us from taking them over, then they're better under our rule. We will make a far better nation out of North Blue then each of those miniscule countries are by themselves. And what right do you have to criticize our supposedly piratical life when Arlong was only able to take over East Blue because of you and your maps?"

Even with his enhanced reflexes, he didn't see the slap coming, but he did see Nami walking away after. He stared after her, confused and angry. What was her problem? Why was she so upset and how could Judge want one of his sons to marry someone who was so clearly against their mission?

~.~

Reiju sagged against the back of a pillar, disappointed. She was glad she'd stayed to watch Nami's and Sanji's interaction, but it certainly hadn't turned out as she'd hoped. On the bright side, it looked like Nami was probably a good person who didn't want to be helping the Germa Kingdom any more than Reiju herself did…On the other side, Nami appeared to hate Sanji for being a part of conquering other countries. That certainly wouldn't help him rediscover the softer side he used to have.

She sighed. It had always been a ridiculous hope, but she couldn't help still wishing for it to come true.


	19. Scheming Brothers

**A/N: **I've had this chapter written for months and months and have no idea why it wasn't posted, but I found it today! And I have at least 2 more chapters to post!

**Chapter 19: Scheming Brothers **

"Brilliant plan for taking over Fen," Niji complimented Ichiji as they watched their men blow up the protective wall surrounding the castle. "These coves Nami found were perfect for a surprise attack. I bet Fen will fall by the end of the week, and this will be the perfect stronghold for us to conquer Quell, though I suspect that campaign will take longer."

"That was my thought," Ichiji said. "Though I think we should wait a little before making a move against Quell. They'll be up in arms waiting for an attack after we take over Fen. If we wait long enough, their defenses will start to relax and that's when we should strike. We'll also need a much stronger force for conquering Quell."

Niji nodded his agreement. "We really our progressing faster in our conquering thanks to Nami. Bringing her in might be one of the best decisions Father has ever made. I think we'll meet his time line of conquering the rest of North blue within three years."

Ichiji grunted rather than answering and Niji turned to look at his older brother. "Do you disagree? You think you would have thought of this plan without Nami's maps and that Yonji could have conquered Yashta without her help navigating the fleet through Storm Pass?" The answer to both questions was clearly no, which was why Niji was confused. Was Ichiji still holding a grudge over Nami not treating him how a commoner should treat a noble?

"She's useful," Ichiji admitted. "We will conquer North Blue faster with her help, but she's only a navigator. She should be in her proper place as a simple navigator, not made into a princess just because she's useful."

"Just because she's useful?" Niji repeated, raising his eyebrows. "Ichiji, we will accomplish the goal our family has held for centuries because of this woman. The Germa Kingdom being united throughout all of North Blue will be a reality because of her. Our people will revere her. She may not have our enhancements, but with her skills, she's as much super human as we are. Why in the world would we keep her as a simple navigator? We should elevate her above the station of just a navigator as proof of how valued and valuable she is. I certainly want her on our side even after we conquer all of North Blue."

"You're making more of her than she is," Ichiji grumbled.

"Are you jealous that she might contribute more to the cause than you?" Niji joked. "No one is saying you're not a brilliant general or that you're not as needed as she is. Just let go of your anger, Ichiji. If Father found out you disagreed with him on this, there might be trouble."

"I wasn't planning on telling him," Ichiji said dryly. "And it doesn't matter anyway. Father is at least having the least useless brother among us marry the commoner. That's for the best. Who Sanji married was never really going to matter anyway."

Niji kept silent, not bothering to share his thoughts on the matter. Though he thought Ichiji was being ridiculous, he was glad that Ichiji didn't feel the same way as him. It meant less competition for Nami.

~.~

"Hey!" Yonji called out. "Why are you standing outside Father's office? I need to speak with him."

Niji paused, his fist poised to knock on the door. "Obviously, I need to speak with him as well. I was here first, so whatever you need to say can wait."

"No, it can't," Yonji argued. "What I need to speak to him about is more important. It's a conversation we should have had a while ago."

"Oh?" Niji asked, raising his eyebrows. "Why don't you tell me what's so important and I'll decide if I'll let you go first?" While Niji was happy for the wealth Germa 66 had received after the takeover of Yashta, he wasn't pleased that his youngest brother had managed to conquer the country in just two days. It had been in large part thanks to Nami's help, but still. He hoped Yonji wasn't there with another brilliant plan to take over another country in a matter of days.

"I'm here to discuss Germa 66's most valuable asset," Yonji said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why are you here?"

Niji tilted his head as he regarded his youngest brother. "I'm here for the same reason. What is it you could be wanting to discuss about our navigator?"

Yonji stood tall as he said, "She's wasted on the likes of Sanji. I'm sure Father planned for her to marry Sanji because Sanji doesn't matter, but I think she's proved herself worthy of more than that."

"Funny, I'm here to argue the same thing. It might have more of an impact if we go in together."

Yonji eyed Niji warily. "And who do you think Nami should marry? You?"

"As the second born son, I am the second most important, though I imagine you think the proper one for her to marry is you. However, there's no need for us to fight about that right now. The first step is to convince Father that Sanji is not the right one for Nami to marry, then we can fight over who should marry her. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Fine," Yonji said. "Let's work on that first, but I don't plan to hand her over to you."

"Likewise," Niji said before knocking on the door.

Judge called them in. "We have a matter that we feel is of importance to the entire kingdom we'd like to discuss with you," Yonji said He was sure he'd had the idea to marry Nami first and hoped that if he led the discussion on the idea, Judge would consider him a better candidate for marrying Nami than Niji.

"And what is this matter?" Judge asked, gaze moving between his sons as he clasped his hands together on top of his desk.

"The navigator," Niji said before Yonji could speak. "I feel she's proved what a valuable asset she is to the Germa Kingdom. She is a brilliant navigator and she fights with weather science even the Germa Kingdom has never seen before. Clearly, she must be of good blood. I think all of this shows that she's a good candidate for a real Vinsmoke to marry and have children with rather than wasting her on your weakest son."

Judge regarded them silently and Yonji continued. "Surely you've sensed this yourself, Father. I imagine that's part of why you've held off on the marriage between Nami and Sanji. I know you also didn't want to interrupt the schedule you've setup for her mapping, but you haven't even bothered to reschedule the date since you had to cancel the first one."

"I have always intended for you three and your sister to make advantageous marriages," Judge said. "Sanji was always the throwaway. Yes, Nami has proved more useful than anyone else in the Germa Kingdom except for myself and my children, but marrying her won't gain a kingdom."

"But Nami's name will go down in history as the one who allowed Germa 66 to finally accomplish their centuries' long goal of reuniting North Blue under their flag," Niji argued. "Her children will be adored because of what she'll accomplish. Do you really want that adoration to rest with Sanji's children? Do you feel he has done anything to be worthy of it? The heroine of our people should be married to a hero of our people."

Judge frowned. Niji had a point, but he'd still planned to gain four kingdoms through marrying off his other sons and Reiju. Though Nami's maps had proven to be of great use in conquering other countries, she still wasn't of royal blood. How could he sully Ichiji's, Niji's, or Yonji's bloodline with the blood of a commoner? Though, as Niji said, a commoner who would be the heroine of the people.

"Some people may even feel she's worthy to be queen for her hand in uniting the kingdom," Yonji said idly. "But having her marry Sanji may make some think less of her and question your judgement in bringing her into the family if she's so unimportant that your throw-away son married her."

Judge narrowed his eyes. A commoner worthy of becoming a queen was ridiculous, but maybe he could start rumors about the navigator actually having royal heritage. That would allow her to marry Niji or Yonji without bringing any shame upon the Vinsmoke name. He rather liked Niji's point that the heroine of Germa 66 should marry a hero of Germa 66. It would make for a better story and for a more dynamite couple. Yonji had already proven what he and Nami could do together. They'd taken over an entire country in a mere two days. Sanji could never have done that.

"Since the two of you are here making this argument, does that mean you have in mind who the navigator should marry?" Judge asked.

Niji and Yonji gave each other wary glances. "I'm sure you would be the best one to decide who the navigator should marry now that you've seen what she's capable of, Father," Niji said. "I'm sure whatever choice you make will be for the best of the kingdom."

~.~

Sanji scowled as he waited for Judge to begin the meeting. He didn't know why their father felt the need to call in all four of his sons, nor did he particularly care at the moment. It was probably just to update them on their conquering schedule since Nami's appearance had changed things so drastically. Not that she cared since she was against their mission. He wondered if Judge knew that and if he would be so pleased with her work if he did.

Sanji hadn't spoken to Nami since their argument, nor did he plan to until the next time he was forced to. He had tried to be a good fiancé to her, but she clearly wasn't interested in marrying him, so why should he want to marry her?

Servants came up bringing a spread for the Vinsmokes to eat while they had their discussion. His eye caught on an intricate design of olives, cheese, and something he couldn't identify. He wondered how it had been made, then wanted to smack himself. He'd spent all that time learning to cook for Nami and it had all been a waste. He should have been studying up on war tactics or training instead. What an idiot he was.

Finally, Judge cleared his throat. "After discussing some things with Niji and Yonji, I have an announcement."

Sanji sat up straighter, wondering what this could be about. What were Niji and Yonji doing behind his and Ichiji's backs? It was normal for Sanji to be left out of whatever they were scheming, but not for Ichiji to be left out. He was somewhat pleased to catch the deep frown on Ichiji's face. Clearly, their oldest brother didn't appreciate being left out of the loop.

"Our navigator has proven to be everything that I had hoped for and more. Once our country is united, she will be a hero to our people." Judge's gaze went to Sanji. "As such, we must reevaluate who she should marry."

"What?" Sanji asked, his mouth gaping. True, he'd just been thinking he didn't _want _to be with Nami, but…why did one of his brothers get to be? He gritted his teeth when he noticed Yonji smirking at him. Sanji crossed his arms and settled back in his chair. Whatever. He didn't care. He was sure Nami would be no happier with any of his brothers than she would be with him. Let them be miserable together. Now, Sanji would be free to sow his wild oats as he'd wanted to from the beginning. He was sure he could find another woman as beautiful as Nami. Just because she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen didn't mean there wasn't a better looking one out there.

"You're just not good enough to marry someone so important to the future of our kingdom," Niji said condescendingly.

"And what about Arlong?" Sanji asked, wondering what was possessing him to keep arguing. What did he care? "How will he react to you changing the deal?"

"It's not a change, it's an upgrade," Yonji said. "The agreement was that Nami would marry one of the Vinsmoke princes. It doesn't have to be you."

Sanji stayed silent as Judge laid out his reasons for why Nami should marry one of his other sons. Whatever. Sanji had always been just barely good enough to be part of this family. Or, perhaps more accurately, to be tolerated as part of this family. Of course he wouldn't be good enough for their precious navigator either. It was a good thing the two of them didn't get along anyway. If they'd grown closer, this news would be much more upsetting.

Finally, Judge reached the end of his lecture. "Obviously, the navigator cannot marry Ichiji. His bride must be of impeccable lineage worthy to be our next queen. However, I have not yet decided whether Niji or Yonji will marry Nami. That will be decided by whichever one of them works best with her."

~.~

"Sorry for stealing your bride, brother," Yonji said, bumping Sanji's shoulder with his own on their way out of the room. "But don't worry, I'm sure we'll find some minor princess with some use for you to marry."

"Father didn't say it would be you," Sanji shot back. "And I wouldn't get so excited. The navigator is a bit of a shrew when you get closer to her. I'm sure she'll make you or Niji as unhappy as she would have made me. I dodged a bullet with Father changing his mind, so I wouldn't pity me too much if I were you."

Yonji grinned. "I like my woman with a bit of fire in them. And I'm not too concerned over who Father will choose. She and I have already proved how well we work together."


	20. Late Night Wanderings

**Chapter 20: Late Night Wandering **

"Stupid giant ship," Nami muttered under her breath, holding a hand to her growling stomach. All this time she'd spent on it, and she still didn't know where the kitchen was. It wasn't surprising that none of the Vinsmokes had ever showed it to her. She bet it was a place none of them ever stepped foot in. They might not know where it was either. Even Sanji, though he'd been willing to cook for her that one time…but his efforts had clearly shown he had no experience.

Thinking of Sanji made her angry and frustrated. They hadn't spoken since their fight. She wished for the umpteenth time that she could control her tongue better around the Vinsmokes. While Sanji was different from his brothers, he was still a Vinsmoke prince who was one of the generals of Germa 66. Everything she'd said to him had been honest, but perhaps she could have found a different way to express herself. Was there a way for her to show her appreciation for his kindness and still tell him that what he was doing was wrong?

She wasn't sure there was. They were probably destined for an unhappy marriage. She would never be okay with the things Germa 66 did and they would never see a problem with what they did. They'd all been indoctrinated since they were children to believe they were in the right in taking what belonged to others.

The next rumbling of her stomach brought her attention back to the present and her wanderings. She'd arrived back late with Niji from another campaign. He hadn't conquered the country in two days' time, but had been called back for something or another. He'd offered for the two of them to have dinner together on his ship before they arrived back, but they'd been close by that point. She'd told him she'd wait until they arrived, but she hadn't been thinking about the fact that those on the main ship would have already had dinner and she would have no idea where to come by some.

Part of her wished she'd accepted Niji's offer, but he'd tried way too many times to get close to her on this campaign. She wasn't sure if it was out of boredom or because he was hoping to piss off Sanji, but it weirded her out. No, it was probably better that she'd said no. If she had to go without dinner, so be it. Of course, she'd also gone without lunch since she'd been busy navigating them through rough waters, but she'd been far worse off in her life than to miss just lunch and dinner. Not that she'd missed this feeling. Being hungry sucked.

Deciding to give up her search, she turned in the direction of her room and spotted Sanji. She was surprised to see him out so late, but maybe he'd just gotten out of a meeting, or maybe he liked to roam the castle halls at night. It wasn't as though she knew much of anything about her fiancé.

"Um, hi," she said lamely. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk." She was too prideful to admit her real reason for being out, and Sanji's last attempt to make food for her had been the worst meal she'd had in her life. "I'll be heading back to my room now."

Sanji said nothing, though when she reached him, her stomach let out a traitorous growl loud enough for them both to hear.

Blushing, she wrapped an arm over her stomach, hoping to quiet it. She'd taken two more steps when Sanji sneered, "Once a commoner, always a commoner. I suppose you're so used to being starving it still hasn't sunk in that you can eat however much you want here. Or maybe our food gained through conquering other countries isn't good enough for you."

Livid, she spun around, her climatact in her hand. She shoved it into Sanji's throat, pushing him against the wall. She mentally took back her wish of being able to control her tongue. The Vinsmokes deserved every nasty thing she had to say to them and more.

"Yes, I know what it's like to be starving," she hissed. "I grew up in a poor, impoverished village where my mother regularly went without food so my sister and I could eat. And then a pirate arrived one day and _murdered _my mother because he demands a living tax from everyone in his power and she paid to save her daughters instead of herself. And then I had the absolute pleasure of becoming a slave to the pirate who murdered her. Arlong locked me in a room and starvedme for days on end until he decided I had charted enough maps to deserve some food."

The cruelty that had been in Sanji's voice was nowhere on his face now, but she was too angry to care. He tried to swallow and winced at the pressure that it put on his neck with the climatact pressed against it.

"I lost my mother too," Sanji said.

"How?" Nami asked sarcastically. "Did your father kill her?"

"Kind of."

His response shocked her enough that she pulled climatact back. Sanji rubbed his throat, his eyes on the far wall. "She didn't approve of the experiments my father was performing on our genes while she was pregnant with us. She took medicine to try to counteract it, and it ultimately killed her. The strain was too much for her body."

That hadn'tbeen what Nami was expecting. That poor woman. What would it be like to not only have your children experimented by your husband, but have it done while they were still inside you? "I take it the medicine didn't work."

"It worked on me," Sanji admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Somewhat, anyway. It didn't completely reverse what my father had done, but it did plenty. I'm much weaker and slower than my siblings. I'm not as pragmatic as my brothers when it comes to emotional things either. Father's never been pleased about that."

"That's why you're kind," Nami whispered.

"What? I didn't hear you."

"Nothing," she lied, blushing. Why had she said that out loud? At least now she knew why he was different from his brothers even after growing up in the same environment. And maybe the other threes' cruelty wasn't completely their fault. If Judge considered being "pragmatic" about emotional things to be an upgrade, he was seriously screwed in the head.

Her stomach growled again and she wished there was something she could do to silence it. "Sorry. I'll head back to my room now."

"Wait," he said, reaching out, but not touching her. "Let me take you to the kitchens." He smiled. "I promise what I make this time won't be as bad as last time."

"Why?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Do you have something premade this time?"

"Uh, no, but I've learned a thing or two…at least enough to make food that's edible."

"All right," she agreed, starved enough to come along.

They only took a few steps before he said, "You see us as the same as Arlong, don't you? Arlong used maps you didn't want to make to take over East Blue and now we're using maps you don't want to make to conquer North Blue. In your eyes, there isn't any difference."

"It's not that I don't want to make the maps," she said carefully. "I love cartography. I wouldn't have become so skilled at it if I didn't eat, sleep, and breath maps as a child. What I don't like is making maps that others use to hurt people, to take away other people's freedom." She paused. "But yes, I see little difference between what Arlong's doing and what your family is doing. Do you really believe there's a difference?"

"We're royalty, not pirates," Sanji said slowly, not wanting to set Nami off again. She had indicated before that she hadn't worked for Arlong willingly when she said she hadn't been safe with her crew, but he'd had no idea the story would be so bad…He wished he could kill the pirate captain right here and now. How could he lock up a little girl and starve her to get what he wanted? "Being ruled by pirates isn't the same as being ruled by royalty. Arlong just wants more control so he can pillage as he pleases. We plan to make a great nation."

"Do you think it looks any different to the people you conquer?" Nami asked. "Whether it's a pirate or Germa 66 who invades their country, they no longer have the same freedoms either way. And I think the Yashta kingdom would argue that Germa 66 does plenty of pillaging."

Sanji winced. "Yashta kingdom is now part of the Germa Kingdom, so it's not pillaging…At least, Father doesn't consider it to be. Since they're now part of our country, their wealth is our wealth."

They were quiet the rest of the way to the kitchen. When they entered, Nami sat and watched Sanji cook. It reminded him of the first time he'd cooked for her, and he wished they could go back a couple weeks. Back to when they were still engaged and seeming to get along well. On the heels of that thought, Sanji realized Nami might not know they were no longer engaged. Why would Judge bother telling her?

He tried to think of a natural way to bring it as he sliced some cold ham and made mashed potatoes. Wanting to be a little daring, he put a sweet glaze along the edge of the ham as the potatoes cooked. Finally, he presented Nami with a plate that looked at least four times as good as the first one he'd presented her with.

Hesitantly, she took a bite. "Hey, this actually isn't bad." She dug in after that, making Sanji smile, though his smile wilted at the corners soon after.

"That's good to hear. I had kind of hoped to be able to cook more for you…but I guess that won't happen now that we aren't getting married." His heart pounded after he said the words. How would she react?

Nami's eyebrows scrunched together as she seemed to mentally repeat his words. "What do you mean? Did you tell Judge—"

"No," he interrupted, cutting off whatever she was going to say. "It wasn't my doing." His lips twisted bitterly. "Yonji and Niji convinced our father that you're too valuable for the throw-away son to marry. He now wants you married to one of them so you and they can reach your full potentials together."

Was it his imagination, or did Nami turn green? "I don't want to marry them. It's supposed to be you. You're the best one."

His heart skipped a beat. He had just told her that he wasn't as good as his brothers…and then she'd said that he was the best one. He mentally shook himself. It didn't matter. He couldn't go against his father. "I thought you didn't want to marry me. You weren't exactly pleased with me the last time we spoke."

She glared. "Didn't I just explain why I was upset? You just came back from conquering a country . . . Is it something you enjoy doing? Honestly, if it is, I'm prepared to dislike you just as much as I do your brothers."

"So, you don't dislike me right now?" he couldn't help asking. Though the answer didn't really matter now, it still mattered to him. She watched him expectantly, tapping one foot rather than answering him. He sighed. "I do what I do because it's what my father desires of me. Ruling North Blue has never been my passion . . . not that I have one. I was jealous when I watched you drawing the maps. It's clear how much you love it. I wish I had something like that in my life."

"Have you ever been allowed to do anything other than fight?" she asked softly. "Have you ever been able to explore other things to find something you might love?"

Oddly, cooking flashed through his mind, but he pushed the thought aside. "Not really."

The room was quiet until she miserably asked, "Is there anything you can do to change your father's mind about who I marry?"

Sanji clenched his fist. He couldn't ignore the look of defeat on Nami's face. She had been pushed into servitude to her mother's murderer as a child and forced to help him conquer East Blue. Now she was being forced to do the same thing for a militaristic nation in North Blue. Sanji was the only one who could possibly do anything to better her situation…but even then, there was very little he could do.

"We could run away," he said, the words coming out of his mouth before the thought was even complete inside his head.

Her eyes widened and she turned pale before shaking her head. "No," she whispered. "Arlong would slaughter my island if I disappeared."

"Not if I killed him first." Where on Earth were these words coming from? He wasn't sure who he was anymore. At least, not who he was around Nami.

She gave a bitter laugh. "You think I haven't tried that? Arlong is too strong. There's a reason he's been able to take over East Blue unopposed, and it's not just my maps." She shook her head again. "I appreciate the suggestion, but I could never put my people at risk like that."

"Your sister is still there?" Nami had said 'daughters' back in the hall. He really hoped the answer was yes and not that her sister had been killed as well.

She nodded, smiling sadly. "When Arlong said I had to come here to marry one of the Germa Kingdom's princes, she tried to convince me to run away. Said I had spent enough of my life living it to save other people and that it was time to live it for myself. I couldn't though. I could never live with the lives of my whole island on my conscience."

Sanji wanted Nami to be able to live her life for herself too. To blossom by navigating and charting maps for the love of it, rather than for others to conquer those who had done them no wrong.

"I would have to be better than my brothers," he said. Nami looked confused, so he continued. "Judge wants whichever prince works best with you to marry you. If it's going to be me, I would have to be better at conquering than the others." He held his hands out to the side helplessly. "But if I did that, you wouldn't want to be with me."

Nami bit her lip. "Could you conquer lands while minimizing casualties? That would make me feel better. Germa will conquer them anyway, but, at least that way, less people would die."

"I…don't know," he said slowly. "It's not a thought that's ever crossed my mind, but I can try. For you."

"Why do you care?" she asked, peering at Sanji in a way that both made him want to hide and want to get closer to her. It felt like her gaze was trying to pierce his soul. "Not that I'm upset about you wanting to marry me, but why does it matter to you? You know why you're the one I want to marry."

"I…" Without thinking, which seemed to be his specialty that night, he brushed the back of his hand down the side of her face. He was pleased when she didn't move away from his touch. "Who I marry was always going to be decided by my father, but I always hoped it would be someone vibrant and strong. I had an argument with Ichiji when he insulted you for not having royal blood. I told him he was welcome to marry a docile princess, but that I wanted someone who could be my equal."

"Like Yonji?" she asked, raising one eyebrow. "He's said he doesn't want a docile princess either."

Sanji shook his head. "No, I think Yonji wants someone who will be by his side during military campaigns." For some reason, Nami turned pale when he said that, but he continued without asking her about it. Maybe it was just low blood sugar. He gestured at the ham, silently telling her to keep eating. "That's not what I want. I, uh, think you already know what I think about women being around violence. Any man who would raise his hand against a woman is scum. I don't think the battlefield is the place for a lady, but I want a woman who will match me intellectually, and who won't stand for others to walk all over her."

"Yet you chastised me for not allowing your brothers to do just that," Nami argued, her look teasing. He was relieved she was teasing rather than angry. He hadn't been sure how bringing up women and fighting would go over.

"I just…don't want to see you get hurt. And I can't protect you from them."

"I don't mind you wanting to protect me. I do mind you objecting to me defending myself."

"What am I supposed to do if you get hurt?" To his shock, tears came to Nami's eyes. "What? What did I say wrong?" His heart raced at the thought that he'd done something wrong when things had been going so well.

She stood abruptly, turning away. "It's nothing." Her voice shook slightly and she brushed her hand against her eyes. "Just that no one other my sister has really cared what happened to me for a long time."

"What about the other villagers?" He asked, coming up behind her. He wanted to touch her, but wasn't sure how she would react. "Aren't they grateful for everything you've sacrificed for them?"

She shook her head. "They never would have tolerated Arlong taking me if they knew I wasn't going willingly. Enough people had already died for me. I wasn't going to let anyone else die. So, they think I joined Arlong for the sake of money. They all hate me."

Slowly, Sanji put a hand on her shoulder. She tensed, but didn't move, so he placed his other hand on her opposite shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing it was inadequate, but he had nothing else to offer her. Then, he realized he did have something else to offer.

"I won't let my brothers have you," he promised. He had no idea how he would keep such a promise, but he knew he had to. He absolutely had to. "I will gain my father's confidence so he'll allow us to marry." Softly, he brushed a kiss against the top of her head.

She turned to stare at him. For a moment, he wondered if she was going to kiss him. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, which was almost as good.

"Thank you, Sanji. I'm counting on you, okay?"

There was that vulnerable look in her eye again, the look he was certain very few people ever saw. He would not let her trust down.


	21. Waste of Time

**Chapter 21: Waste of Time **

"Is the wine to your liking, Prince Ichiji?" King Regald asked. "It was brought from my country."

"It is sufficient," Ichiji said, ignoring a flutter of annoyance. Kings and rulers had been trying to curry favor with him all night long, though this was one of the more ridiculous attempts. As though Germa 66 might not attack this king's nation simply if Ichiji liked the wine enough.

"These balls are such excellent ideas, bringing together rulers to help broker peace between us all," King Akish said, throwing Ichiji a sidelong glance. "And, along with that, helping to build alliances. Have you had an opportunity to meet my niece yet, Prince Ichiji?"

"I have not," Ichiji admitted. "Have you brought her tonight?" He'd had daughters of kings shoved at him all evening long in an attempt to entice him into an alliance that would protect said nation from Germa 66. King Akish was too young to have any children, which undoubtedly was why he was encouraging Ichiji to meet his niece. A niece was farther removed from the throne than Ichiji cared for, but King Akish had many allies and it wouldn't hurt for Ichiji to at least pretend that he had an interest.

"Indeed," King Akish said, gesturing toward a demure, dark-haired young woman standing with a few other women. "Please, allow me to introduce you to her."

Ichiji followed the king over, ignoring King Regald's frown over being left behind.

"Prince Ichiji, allow me to introduce you to my niece, Dahlia. She is the daughter of my elder sister. Dahlia, this is Prince Ichiji, the crown prince of the Germa 66 kingdom."

The young woman looked up, blinking wide eyes at him as her companions gasped then broke into whispers.

"It is an honor to meet you, Prince Ichiji," Dahlia said, gathering her long skirts in her hands and curtsying.

"You as well," Ichiji said, giving a slight bow. "Your kingdom is highly respected in these circles. It speaks much of your character that your uncle would decide to bring you with him." Or of his desperation to see his niece married off to a member of Germa 66's royal family.

"Thank you," Dahlia said, blushing as she gave another curtsy. "Your words bring me great honor."

Ichiji was always the son sent to these balls, events meant to bring the elite together to make and break alliances. Occasionally his brothers came with him, but Ichiji was the best at politics of all his brothers, as was befitting of the oldest son and crown prince. But this was the first time that he found himself bored.

These events were never exciting and he was always eager to get back to his war campaigns, but he was usually more engaged than he was tonight. He didn't know if it was because Germa's conquering was going so well that he didn't want to take a break, or if the other attendees were more boring than usual.

He tried to focus on Dahlia and bring his mind back to where he was. Even for a conquering nation, alliances were important. And his father was always on the lookout for good marriage matches for his children, which meant Ichiji needed to be on the lookout as well. Though things in that regard were a little more complicated at the moment since Judge had yet to decide who would marry Nami between Niji and Yonji. He still didn't understand his brothers' obsession with the navigator, but they could have her.

He was more interested in making an alliance that would profit Germa 66. And in marrying someone of royal blood. The group of young women in front of him were clearly more refined than the navigator. Their posture and mannerisms were befitting of woman of royalty. Though he did find it a little annoying that they were clustered together as though they were a group of deer seeking protection in numbers. And none of them had yet to look him in the eye. Nami always looked him in the eye.

The thought made him grit his teeth. Yes, she looked him in the eye, with a challenging look that no commoner had a right to look at him with. It was disrespectful and impertinent, just like everything else about the navigator.

Pushing thoughts of her away, he engaged himself in conversation with the women in front of him while King Akish regularly interjected with various accomplishments of his niece. The women in front of him said all the right things, did all the right things . . . and it was all entirely predictable, which lead to him barely being able to keep his mind on what was being said.

Yonji's words about wanting a strong woman flashed through his mind. Had the princesses at these gatherings always been so meek? Had Ichiji really ever found anything attractive in that? But just because these princesses in front of him were meek didn't mean that they all were. Excusing himself from the conversation, he went in search of someone more interesting.

Of course, interesting wasn't what mattered. Benefiting Germa 66 was what mattered. His brothers' ridiculous actions of late had Ichiji too focused on the women themselves, but they were incidental to the whole thing. Alliance were about nations, not people. He needed to marry someone belonging to a nation with a strong military, not someone with the guts to look him in the eye and challenge him.

Still, his mind couldn't help jumping to past conversations with flashing, fiery green eyes and long red hair flowing in the wind and a traitorous part of his mind whispered that conversations with her were never predictable, and any conversation with her was more exciting than any conversation he'd ever had at one of these gatherings.

He grabbed a wine glass from a passing waiter and downed the whole thing in one gulp.

Air. He needed air.

Making a beeline for the balcony of the ballroom, he ignored any attempts to pull him into conversation. He stopped short when on the balcony upon discovering three men in deep conversation. They immediately stopped talking upon seeing him. It could mean nothing, or it could mean they had been discussing Germa 66 in one fashion or another.

"Ah, Prince Ichiji," one of the men said, casting sidelong glances at his companions. "How fortuitous that you would come upon us right at this moment. Perhaps you could clear up a confusion between the three of us."

"What?" Ichiji asked with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest. He wanted this evening to be done. He wasn't in the proper frame of mind to work toward any alliances or to keep track of other alliances being made.

"We have heard rumors of the reason behind Germa 66's recent . . . increase in victories over your enemies. We had previously been invited to a wedding between your brother Prince Sanji and a woman named Nami from East Blue. The invitation gave little information about this woman and when the wedding was postponed, we had thought that perhaps the marriage had been an attempt alliance with a nation outside of North Blue and that did not turn out well."

Another man jumped in. "The rumors my friend is referring to are that the woman, Nami, is a lost princess from East Blue who is an unmatched navigator and has increased Germa 66's prowess greatly with her knowledge. When we learned this, it seemed not that this alliance hadn't gone well, but that it's going extremely well. So well, in fact, that your father broke Princess Nami's alliance with Sanji so that she could marry you and become queen of Germa 66. For surely, if half the stories we've heard our true, this woman is worthy to be wife to you and queen of Germa 66 if she achieves your father's lifelong goal."

Ichiji was so stunned he couldn't speak. Nami, a lost princess? He recalled his father saying he planned to start a rumor like that so that it would be acceptable for Niji or Yonji to marry her, but he hadn't expected the rumors to spread this quickly. And the thought that Judge intended for Ichiji to marry her was preposterous, but he could see these men's perspectives. What other reason would Judge have for breaking Nami's engagement with Sanji than to have her marry the crown prince? To an outsider unaware of Sanji's weaknesses, having Nami marry Sanji would be the same as having her marry Niji or Yonji. Sanji might even be thought of as better than Yonji since he was older. There would be no visible benefit to having Nami marry a different brother unless it was Ichiji.

"Well?" the third man demanded, causing his companions to throw him a warning look. He ignored them and pressed on. "Is Princess Nami now your fiancé and the future queen of Germa 66? We have a right to know, Prince Ichiji, simply because many of us here have brought our daughters for the express purpose of meeting you. If you are already taken, perhaps your brothers could make more frequent appearances at these events for our daughters to meet them."

No. The answer was no, of course. No because Judge had decreed it and no because Ichiji didn't want to marry her. So why wouldn't the word come? Why did his throat seem closed off to that simple, two-letter, one-syllable word?

Instead, what came out was, "The internal affairs of the Germa Kingdom are none of your concern." With a flip of his cape, he turned and left the balcony.

**A/N: **Ya'll knew that Ichiji had to join the fray eventually, right? ;)


	22. The Quell Invasion

**Chapter 22: The Quell Invasion **

"It appears we miscalculated with Quell," Ichiji calmly told a captain in his army amidst the sound of cannon fire. "Once we held Fen in our grasp, I had believed they would hunker down and take the defensive position. Presumably, they instead feel that they can force us out of Fen before we gain a strong foothold."

The captain shook his head in mock sympathy. "With how much Quell feared our eventual attack, you would think they would have studied up on Germa's war tactics. Of course our hold on Fen is absolute. They had no hope of forcing us out the moment we took down Fen's ruling family."

"Of course," Ichiji agreed. "Nor do they have any hope of stopping us from taking over their nation. All this preemptive strike will do is up the casualties from this war." He glanced at the ship's cabin before turning back to watch his fleet exchange fire with Quell's cliffside defenses. The only problem with Quell's preemptive strike was the fact that Germa's navigator was aboard Ichiji's ship.

He hadn't expected an attack today. The navigator was on his ship only because Ichiji had needed more maps of Quell's coastline. They had only focused on Fen previously so as not to arouse Quell's suspicions.

~.~

Nami stared down at her maps, not really seeing them. This wasn't the first time she was on board one of Germa's ships during a war campaign—but it was the first time she was on board by accident. Ichiji hadn't meant for this to turn into a battle. Or, if he had, he'd kept it from her, which was entirely possible. There was no reason why he would reveal any plans to her.

However, it seemed the whole reason that she'd come was pointless. With all the cannon fire going on, they couldn't navigate through the waters enough for her to work on her maps.

She hoped this battle wouldn't last long one way or another. She wondered if Ichiji would be more lenient with Quell's royal family if they surrendered rather than continuing to fight, or if Germa 66 treated all their conquered kingdoms the same regardless. She couldn't imagine how the non-conquered kingdoms of North Blue felt seeing one kingdom after another fall to Germa 66. Germa must feel like an unstoppable force to those countries. They sure seemed like one to her.

A shattering sound had her spinning toward a window on the side of the ship. Two men in dark blue suits were coming through. They definitely weren't members of Germa's army. All their uniforms had 66 on the side.

"Who are you?" she asked, backing up.

"You'll get a lot less hurt if you come with us quietly, girl," one of them said.

"Right," she said before lunging for the table where her climatact lay.

The man who hadn't spoken rushed forward so quickly he was a blur. Nami mentally cursed as he crushed her against his body with one arm, his other hand covering her mouth. The man had to have a devil fruit power. He was faster than even the Germa princes.

"Like my friend said," the devil fruit user began, "this'll go a lot better for you if you come quietly."

~.~

The fighting had only been going on for a few hours when the cannon fire from Quell's cliffside defenses ceased. Ichiji signaled for his fleet to cease fire as well. There was no way Quell was surrendering. There had far more military might than they had yet shown. They might, however, try to offer Ichiji a deal. No deal would be acceptable, but it looked good on the part of Germa 66 to at least be willing to listen. It showed that they could be reasonable if the occasion called for it.

It took only a few minutes for a message to be relayed to Ichiji that he was being summoned to the cliffside. It could be a trap, a paltry attempt on Quell's part to sink Ichiji along with his ship. Such a thing would be impossible. They could sink his ship and Ichiji would escape just fine with his raid suit, but . . . this time he stopped his eyes from straying toward the cabin. The navigator was too valuable a tool for him to risk like that. Instead, he flew himself toward the cliff, leaving his ship behind.

At the cliffside, he was greeted by a military leader wearing a wide smirk.

"Well?" Ichiji asked, tilting his head. "I don't have time to waste. What do you want?"

Anger flashed through the man's eyes before his smirk settled back in place. "You might want to watch your tone, Germa 66. Quell has abilities that can get past even the great Germa's defenses."

"Truly?" Ichiji asked. "And these abilities are so impressive that you feel the need to tell me about them rather than use them?"

The man's smirk widened, becoming a predatory grin. "We already have."

Ichiji had checked the formation of his fleet as he'd flown over. Everyone was in place exactly where they should have been and none of them had received any damage above what he'd expected. "You're bluffing." If Quell had some secret ability that would allow them the upper hand in this fight, they would have already used it.

"Am I?" the man asked.

He was so insolent that Ichiji considered killing him without waiting for him to finish.

"Many kingdoms have been scrambling to learn the secret of Germa's increased effectiveness, but it's not such a secret anymore."

The first hint of unease entered Ichiji's mind. He should have checked on the navigator before coming. But the man was probably bluffing.

"I doubt that you'll continue to be so effective without your precious navigator and princess. She's supposed to be your fiancé, isn't she?"

"You don't have her," Ichiji said. Why hadn't he checked the cabin?

The man chuckled. "Oh really? Have you seen her since we ceased fire upon your ships? We only stopped once we had her safely in our custody. Such a lovely young woman. It would be a shame if anything where to happen to her. I doubt she'd be much use as a mapmaker if she no longer had any hands. What do you think?"

Rage course through Ichiji at the threat. "If you have her," he said slowly, "then show her to me."

The man scoffed. "As though we would be that stupid. Go check your flagship for her. Scour it from top to bottom and see if you can find her."

Ichiji greeted his teeth. For him to go back to the flagship would put this Quell idiot in a position of power. But he didn't trust his men to do the check for him. With a last glare for the Quell military leader, he flew back to his ship.

It couldn't be true, of course. How could Quell possibly have gotten onto Ichiji's flag ship without him noticing? Unless they'd used devil fruit powers.

His men scattered when he landed on his ship, his rage apparent in his stance. Stalking to the cabin, he threw open the door. Empty. It was empty and there was glass on the floor from a broken window.

Growling under his breath, he prowled through the room. It looked like the idiot navigator had been taken. Why hadn't she fought back? Why was her staff still on the table? She'd been able to fight him off. Him, a general of Germa 66! She should have been able to fight off a couple fools from Quell. His heart was pounding and he told himself it was from rage. The navigator had no right to inconvenience him like this. He couldn't believe that he, a prince of Germa, was rushing off to rescue a commoner.

Stepping from the cabin, he turned to the captain. "Start negotiations with the Quell leader, but agree to nothing."

"What will you be doing?" the captain asked, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

"Retrieving the navigator."

He moved to the back of the ship and jumped, nearly allowing himself to drop into the water before activating his jets. He'd have to be stealthy so he wouldn't be seen. Pity Sanji wasn't there. It was so rare that he was useful that it was always annoying not to have him around when he was needed. No matter. Ichiji would find the idiot navigator and bring her back.

~.~

"Do you really think that Germa 66 will decide not to conquer a nation for the sake of one life?" Nami asked. She was stuffed into the corner of a room in what she believed was Quell' castle with her arms tied behind her back. Her face hurt from where one of the men had struck her. Not because she'd resisted, but because she was associated with Germa.

"According to our intelligence, yes, they will," a man said, glaring down at her. Despite the fact that he was dressed in military clothing, Nami felt like he was probably royalty. His bearing was too proud and entitled to be straight military, and he was way too young for all the deference the other guards were showing him. "Judge is so proud of his new pet navigator, his future daughter-in-law. You're too useful for Germa to allow you to die. At least, not until they've gotten everything they want out of you. I suppose I can admire a princess who bothers to learn a useful skill, but you chose the wrong side."

"I—what did you just call me?" Nami asked, thrown by being called a princess. She wouldn't be a princess until she married one of the princes. Surely it was known that the Vinsmoke wedding hadn't happened yet. Weren't royal weddings supposed to be a big deal? The Vinsmokes had sure made a big deal out of her wedding dress. Reiju had said it had to show off Germa's wealth.

"A navigator," the-probably-a-prince said, giving her a condescending look. "Don't try to pretend that you're not. Why else would a woman be on one of Germa's war ships?"

Nami had no idea why this man would think she was a princess, but decided not to correct him since it wouldn't do anything to help her situation.

"I didn't choose to help Germa," she snapped instead. Not like that would change what these men planned to do to her, but she at least wanted them to get that right.

"Oh?" said the probably-a-prince. "Were you kidnapped from one of the conquered kingdoms and forced into an engagement with the crown prince? I had thought you were from a kingdom in East Blue, not North."

Engaged to the crown prince? Where the heck was this man getting his information from?

~.~

Ichiji flew through the castle, killing anyone he encountered before they had a chance to raise an alarm. He remembered his thoughts about Nami being nothing more than a tool to be used until she broke and not someone to marry. But as he was searching for her, he wasn't thinking of her maps, he was thinking of her standing up to him on the first day they met and fighting him off. Of her braving a terrible storm to tell Niji they needed to change directions since Ichiji hadn't listened to her in the first place about avoiding the storm.

He slowed when he heard raised voices and maneuvered himself next to the door where the noise came from.

"If Germa 66 doesn't give into our demands to sign a treaty that is binding before the World Government swearing not to invade Quell, we'll cut off your hands! Based on recent events, losing you will greatly hamper Germa 66's conquest efforts."

Whatever the voice would have said next was cut off by Ichiji blasting the door open. Three men in military uniform spun to look at him in surprise. Two of them got off shots with their guns that ricocheted off Ichiji's raid suit and back into their chests. The last man turned to run toward a window since there was nowhere else to go and Ichiji shot him in the back. The coward could have at least died like a man instead of running away.

Now he searched for the reason he came. There she was, tied up in a corner with a purple bruise forming on one cheek. Neither of them said anything.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" Ichiji demanded.

"You haven't saved me yet," Nami said with a glare. "And it's your fault I'm here in the first place!"

"My fault?" Ichiji demanded, stalking forward. "You're the one who got captured. Aren't you supposed to be an excellent fighter?"

"They had devil fruit powers! One of them could fly and the other moved so fast I couldn't see him."

Then suddenly, Nami was gone. Ichiji froze. She'd just said that a man had moved so fast she couldn't see him. Ichiji ran into the hall and found Nami being held by a man next to a window.

"You killed our prince!" he yelled. "So the deal we're discussing with your captain is null and void! Watch your precious fiancé die!" Then he threw her through the window, shattering the glass with Nami's body.

Activating his jets, Ichiji streamed through the air. He heard broken glass scrape his raid suit as he cleared the window. He dived toward Nami, her red hair streaming like a beacon. Catching her, he continued his high speed on to his flag ship, the wind buffeting them too much for either of them to speak.

"Resume fire!" he ordered as he reached his ship, just before Quell began firing again as well.

"Medic!" he yelled, tossing Nami toward him. "Clean her up." He could see blood streaming from several wounds from the glass, but doubted she'd received any deep wounds. "I have a war to win."

~.~

Ichiji continued directing his fleet until Quell's cliffside defenses crumbled, then he organized the landing party and saw them off. The war was far from over, but they'd been able to move to the next stage of the battle quickly thanks to everything they'd already set up in Fen. It had been a brilliant tactical move on his part to take care of that first.

Since his soldiers knew what to do and were in the good hands of Ichiji's captain, he went in search of the medical bay. It was empty other than the medic.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

The medic snapped to attention. "She's in her room, Prince Ichiji."

"And how severe are her wounds?"

"Not bad, Sire. A few had to be stitched up. The rest only required a bandage. She should be all healed up in a few weeks."

"Good," Ichiji said before sweeping out the door and straight to her room. He hesitated only a moment before stepping inside.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed in a thin night dress that left her shoulders mostly bare and only hit her at mid-thigh. The bruise on her cheek was even more visible now and bandages covered her arms with a few on her legs and one around her neck. He frowned. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Do any of you princes other than Sanji know how to knock?" she asked with a glare before answering, "I have a few bandages on my back. That guy did throw me through the window back first after all."

Part of Ichiji wanted to demand that she take off her night dress so that he could see all her bandages. He wanted to know every hurt those bastards had given her and repay it tenfold. For the sake of Germa, of course. He had to set an example of what happened to anyone who dared touch something that belonged to the Germa Kingdom. Quell would be ground into dust for daring to make such a move against Germa. For daring to . . . suddenly, Ichiji found himself standing next to Nami, staring down at her. How had he gotten there?

She glared up at him, then glared at his shoes and muttered, "Thanks."

"What?" Ichiji asked, surprised.

"I said thanks," Nami repeated, again glaring up at him. "Before you told me to thank you and I told you that you hadn't saved me yet. Now you have. So thank you. Even if you only saved me so I could keep drawing maps." She looked down at the bandages covering her arms and flexed her hands. "I should be able to keep going for this trip, but I might be a little slower."

Why did Ichiji feel like he couldn't breathe? It was like when he'd tried to deny that Nami was his fiancé at that ball, and nothing had come out. Why _hadn't _he been thinking about Nami's ability to draw maps? That should have been his first thought. That was why she was there.

Except, that certainly didn't look like she was here with her sitting on her bed in her tiny little night dress. Ichiji swallowed hard. Maybe his brothers had the right of it. If Nami was going to help North Blue achieve unification, why not make her an official part of the family? Wouldn't that increase her loyalty to them? They just needed to sever all her ties to the Arlong Pirates by wiping them out.

"Ichiji!"

Ichiji startled, then glared down at Nami. "What? Why are you yelling at me?"

"Because the was the third time I had to call your name. Did you get hurt in the fight?"

"No," Ichiji said with a scowl, taking a step back. He needed to get out of there. "I just have the coming war on my mind. If you can still draw maps, then that's all I need to know." He spun on his heel and stormed out.


	23. Concern

**Chapter 23: Concern **

Judge clutched the letter from Captain Arlong tightly, his lip curling into a snarl as he read.

_My lieutenants Chew and Hatchan left Germa 66 with assurances that Nami's wedding with one of your sons would be taking place soon and that the Arlong Pirates would receive an invitation so that we would know when the marriage takes place. We have received no invitation. _

_Either you forgot to invite the Arlong Pirates, or you've forgotten that one of your sons is to marry Nami. I am writing, of course, out of the utmost concern for my navigator. From the beginning, it was imperative to me to make sure that my navigator was well taken care of, which is why I insisted that this alliance include marriage. _

_I have held up my end of the bargain, Judge. Where is your end? _

Cursing, Judge threw the letter into the garbage. Where did that pirate captain get off calling Nami _his _navigator? She belonged to the Germa Kingdom now. Oh, Judge didn't doubt that Arlong had plans to one day retrieve Nami and use the knowledge she'd gained of North Blue to start infringing on Germa's territories, but that was why Judge had agreed to let a commoner marry one of his sons.

He'd thought that surely by welcoming her into the family and giving her such an important role, Germa would have her loyalty. So far, Nami's loyalty didn't seem to be an issue. He'd had the navigator under surveillance, and she hadn't tried even once to contact her former crew. He imagined she was happy to be rid of those fishmen. How could being a pirate possibly compare to now living in the Germa Kingdom and having entire fleets follow your directions as a navigator? Arlong could never offer Nami that kind of power.

However, he had been too busy to technically have Nami welcomed into the family as his daughter-in-law. The first wedding date got pushed out—but he believed that to be for the best. Niji made many excellent points about a marriage to Nami not being a throw away marriage. Arlong's letter helped reinforce that fact.

His people loved and respected Nami. She'd proved her worth to them again and again with her navigation skills and they stood in awe of her. And her prowess as a navigator was undeniable. As Judge had believed, having such a skilled navigator had increased Germa 66's rate of conquest. Nami would be a heroine of Germa 66 who would be spoken of for generations to come. Which meant that who she married was of great importance. Niji and Yonji were equal to each other in so many ways that it made it difficult for him to decide which one should marry Nami. Both seemed equally amenable to the idea.

His musing were interrupted by a knock on the door and then Ichiji entered the room.

"What is it?" Judge asked, a frown still on his face.

"I encountered some interesting conversations during the last ball with several leaders from North Blue and the surrounding kingdoms," Ichiji explained. "I haven't had time to discuss them with you yet because of the Quell war campaign."

Judge couldn't read the look on his oldest son's face. "What kind of interesting conversations? Are some of those weaklings hoping to join forces and stand against us again? Have they already forgotten how poorly that turned out for the last group who did that?"

Ichiji shook his head. "The fact that Germa's increased prowess is thanks to the navigator is becoming common knowledge and your rumor that Nami is a lost princess from East Blue seems to be spreading well too. I encountered no one who didn't believe her to be of royal blood. Of course, no one would believe that a member of the Vinsmoke family would marry someone outside of our class."

"So?" Judge grunted impatiently. "That's all good news, not interesting news. What else did you hear?"

"People are confused about why you would break off Nami's engagement to Sanji when clearly things are going so well for Germa 66 with the addition of her talents. The conclusion they have come to is that you intend for her to marry me. This is a rumor that appears to be spreading."

Judge nearly choked upon hearing those words. "But you corrected them, didn't you?  
You told them that Nami would be marrying one of your brothers and that it was simply a mistake that she was announced as being engaged to Sanji?"

"I . . . didn't confirm their guess," Ichiji said carefully. He took a seat across from his father's desk. "But I am concerned about what the effect may be now if . . . if I'm not the one to marry Nami." Ichiji's heart was pounding and he wasn't sure if it was because he found the idea of marrying a commoner so disgusting, or because he so strongly desired for Nami to be his. He was beginning to suspect it was the latter, but was still fighting against it. The way things were going, this decision made sense. Personal feelings didn't matter.

Judge frowned and opened his mouth, but Ichiji rushed to speak first. "To outsiders, they see no difference between my three younger brothers. Only our family knows of Sanji's deficiencies. It doesn't make sense for Nami not to marry Sanji only to marry Yonji or Niji. But with all she has done for our people, it would make sense for you to decide that she should be queen instead of a princess."

"She's not of royal blood," Judge said slowly, as though Ichiji had somehow forgotten that. "And will bring us no kingdoms. Would you have me give my grandchildren, who will one day inherit this kingdom, weak commoner blood?"

"No," Ichiji said, and mentally added, _but I would give them fiery blood. _"But I believe I will be giving them weak blood if I marry any princesses I've met so far. Father, how much attention have you paid to the women at the dignitary gatherings we attend? Not one of those women look me in the eye for more than a second. Nami has never hesitated to do so. She's far stronger than any woman I've ever met. Like you, I want my children to be strong, which I believe means marrying a strong woman. Furthermore, my wife will need to be strong in order to be the queen of Germa 66. What would I do with someone who faints at the sight of blood? Or runs at the first hint of a fight? Don't you feel that would bring shame upon the Vinsmoke name?"

Judge's frown stayed in place, but it was less severe than it had been. The truth was, he'd began to be a little troubled by how big a heroine he imagined Nami would become to their people. What woman could possibly compare to what Nami had done for them and would do for them? How could the Germa Kingdom ever look upon another woman with the same awe they held for Nami?

Nothing could compare with being the catalyst for allowing North Blue to be united. Which meant that also had the potential of making Nami outshine his sons. Unless she was always heavily associated with one of them. If her triumphs were also considered that son's triumphs. And, of course, whichever son that was would be considered the best of his sons. Which meant that it had to be Ichiji . . . except he'd been set on the idea of pairing Nami with the son who worked best with Nami. What if Nami and Ichiji didn't work as well together as Nami and Yonji had? No other pairing had made as great a win yet.

It was time to get serious about discovering who worked best with Nami, and whoever that was would become the new crown prince of Germa 66. The two of them would lead Germa 66 into a new era.

"You have some good points, Son. And it reminds me of concerns I've been beginning to develop. I agree with you."

Ichiji began to relax until Judge added, "And, I have some bad news for you."

"What?" Ichiji asked. Had Judge already decided who Nami would marry? Already sent out wedding invitations? He couldn't possibly change Nami's fiancé twice, it would make the Vinsmoke family look foolish.

"I think you are correct that Germa 66 needs a powerful queen and that by my own actions, people will decide that I've changed Nami's engagement because I desire for her to be queen because of how useful she's been. More than that, I believe that our people will demand that she be queen, may rebel against any other woman as queen since nothing another woman did could compare to uniting North Blue."

Now it was Ichiji's turn to frown. "Why is that bad news for me?"

"Because whoever will be most closely associated with Nami will share in the glory, whoever is most closely associated with Nami must be the one to marry her, and whoever is most closely associated with Nami . . . must be the one who works best with her. Reuniting North Blue is too important to leave anything up to chance. I do desire for you to become king in my stead one day, but whoever works best with Nami is who I will choose as crown prince."

Ichiji's throat went dry and his stomach dropped. This couldn't be happening. Not that he doubted his abilities to impress his father, but was Judge seriously considering giving the crown to one of his brothers? Ichiji was the oldest, the strongest, and the best politician. He was clearly the best choice.

"When do you plan to tell my brothers?"

"I don't for now."

"You don't?" Ichiji echoed, his eyes widening. This information would make Niji and Yonji work twice as hard. They already both desperately wanted Nami as their bride. If they learned that winning her also meant winning the crown, nothing would get in their way. Nothing other than Ichiji, anyway.

"They should already be focused on the glory of Germa 66 and on reuniting our kingdom," Judge explained. "If they need the added incentive of becoming crown prince in order to give their all for this nation, then they don't deserve to be king."

"Right," Ichiji agreed, standing up. At least no one but him would know that a contest for the throne as well as for the navigator was going on. He frowned. A contest for working _best _with the navigator, not a contest for the navigator. He was just trying to do what was best for his kingdom and its future, not win the hand of a woman for the sake of it. "I will not disappoint you, Father."

Judge waited until Ichiji had left the room before he pulled out a paper and pen, He would explain to Arlong that Nami had been so useful to him that he was now considering making her Germa 66's future queen, whcih meant reconsidering who she should marry. That ought to shut the pirate up for a while. Surely, having Nami be a queen instead of a princess was in her best interests.

**A/N: **I promise the next chapter will have some Sanji/Nami interaction!


	24. New Tactics

**A/N: **This chapter originally took place a little later before I decided to move it up, and a reviewer pointed out that some time must have passed since the Quell campaign since Nami is healed, but that's actually not the case! Because of that, I had to go back and make some rewrites to this chapter.

**Chapter 24: New Tactics **

Sanji was invisible as he snuck into the bedroom of Gimbo's royal family. This was something he'd done many times over the years, but this was the first time he was doing it without the intent to assassinate the royal family, which meant he'd had to take the time to incapacitate all the nearby guards, but the extra effort would be worth it if his plan worked.

"Wake up!" he demanded upon reaching the bedroom, still invisible.

The king shot up in bed, one arm protectively covering his wife as he looked around. "Who's there?"

"Germa 66," Sanji answered and even in the dark of the night, he still saw the king go pale. "I'm not here to kill you _if _you follow what I say."

The king's face contorted in rage as he peered around the room, unsure of where to direct his anger. "You want me to make a deal to hand my people and kingdom over to you?"

"You'd rather watch your people die and suffer through war?"

The king stayed silent, his face still furious.

"There wouldn't be any suffering if not for Germa 66!" the queen spat before the king shushed her.

"If you fight us, you will lose," Sanji said dispassionately. "The same as every other country Germa has declared war on. Your army will be decimated, your people will die, and you will receive public executions. If this is not the fate that you want, then we have something to discuss. If it's the fate you prefer, then I'll apprehend you now."

The king glanced at the doors leading out of the room. Sanji shook his head even though they couldn't see him. "Do you really think I would have left any guards available to come to your rescue? For now, your guards still live. I only knocked them unconscious. If you decide to battle Germa, then they will all die." Even as Sanji said the words, he felt his insides squirm at the thought of what Nami would think of him in this moment.

"What—what are the terms of surrender?" the king asked.

"_If _you surrender _and _convince your people to follow Germa 66's rule, then you and the queen will remain in the palace as advisors to the ruling regent. The laws and practices you have in place may be protected so long as they do not contradict the laws of Germa 66. This is an opportunity for your nation to retain some autonomy. I suggest you take it, your Majesty, because I promise that this offer will not be extended a second time."

The king's eyes narrowed in suspicion as they swept around the dark room. "Why? Why make this offer to me? Why now? I've never heard of Germa allowing any conquered nation to retain autonomy. Or allowing the native royal family to live outside of a prison."

Sanji hadn't expected this question. How should he answer? Give a flippant answer that it was a policy change? A new tactic Germa was trying out?

His mouth opened and said, "In honor of Germa's future princess, who serves Germa only for the sake of protecting her people. If you value the lives of your people as she does hers, then I suggest you take the deal."

The king shared a baffled look with his wife before hanging his head and releasing a sigh. "Tell me what my role as advisor will be."

~.~

As Sanji climbed yet another castle wall while invisible, he wasn't sure his heart had ever pounded this hard during a mission. He knew for sure that he'd never been as eager for what waited on the other side.

Reaching the balcony, he saw that the doors were open, as she'd said they would be. Nami sat curled in an arm chair, her eyebrows adorably scrunched together as she read a book on navigation. A pen and paper sat on a table next to her where she occasionally scribbled notes.

"Nami," he said softly, deactivating his invisibility as he took off his raid helmet.

She lifted her head and her eyes lit up. "Sanji! You're back!"

He wouldn't have thought it possible, but his heart beat even faster at her greeting.

Putting her book down, she came to him, putting a hand on his chest as she gazed up at him with concerned eyes. "How did it go?"

He covered her hand with his own, wondering if he was grateful or disappointed that his raid suit prevented Nami from realizing how fast his heart was beating.

He opened his mouth to tell her when he realized there was a bandage around her neck, and several around her arms.

"What happened?" he demanded, his heart jumping into his throat as he pulled her protectively closer, wrapping one arm around her waist. "Did one of my brothers hurt you?" Why was she hurt in so many places? The thought that she'd gotten hurt and he hadn't been there to protect her made him sick.

"Oh," she said, looking down at her arms. "I got thrown out a window. While the glass was still in it."

"How?!"

"When I was in the waters near Quell with Ichiji. We went there for me to map Quell's waters, but Quell attacked Ichiji's forces. Apparently, it's becoming common knowledge that Germa's new navigator is partly responsible for their recent successes, so Quell used a pair of devil fruit users to kidnap me. Ichiji came to retrieve me, but I got thrown out a window."

Sanji was so angry it felt like he was choking. He'd thought he didn't like Ichiji before, but that had only been the pale resentment held by a boy. Ichiji never should have put Nami in danger like that. As soon as Quell attacked, Ichiji should have retreated or at least kept Nami by his side to protect her. Of course he wouldn't have done something like that though. He'd probably been annoyed that he'd had to rescue Nami.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Sanji said, pulling Nami into a hug, then he jumped back. "Wait, am I hurting you? Where all are you hurt? _Are _you okay?"

Nami giggled at his reaction. "I have a few more bandages that you can't see, but yes, I'm okay. None of the injuries were bad enough to require stitches, thankfully. Just don't put too much pressure anywhere, okay?"

"Okay," Sanji agreed, relaxing a little. He was still upset though. He hated that he couldn't be with Nami all the time. He'd already been worried enough about what his brothers might do to her if they got angry. Now he also had to worry about Germa's enemies going after her. This woman was going to give him a heart attack.

"What did my father think of all this?"

"I don't know," Nami said with a shrug. "I haven't heard anything about it and I don't usually see him. Maybe he doesn't know."

"Possibly not," Sanji said, grounding his teeth. No way would Judge be okay with is prize navigator being put in danger like that and no way would Ichiji want their father to know that he'd messed up so badly. The jerk likely hadn't said a word of what happened to Judge, and was probably making sure that Judge and Nami didn't cross paths. It would be hard to hide Nami's injuries with how many bandages she wore.

Hopefully, Ichiji would be a little more careful with Nami from now on at least so that he wouldn't risk Judge's anger.

"Anyway," Nami said, waving a hand to brush away talk of her injuries, "you still haven't told me how your campaign went."

Sanji frowned, but answered. "It went well. The royal family of Gimba agreed to my terms. There were those who rose up in protest, but it was the most bloodless takeover Germa has ever had."

"Good," Nami breathed, her shoulders relaxing.

"It is," Sanji agreed. "Though I'm afraid that doing things this way is more likely to lead to the people rebelling later on. If that happens and my father finds out what I'm doing, he'll be furious. I need the people of Gimba to truly support what I'm doing."

Nami chewed her lip as she returned to her seat. "If Germa truly wants a unified North Blue, then you need support everywhere. If the people don't believe that Germa is working in their best interest, then rebellions will rise up. Germa may have the power to take over country after country, but they don't have the power to quell rebellions in all the places they've taken over. They have to do things differently than they did centuries ago, or the exact same result will happen."

She sighed. "I suppose that neither of us have much experience with lasting, peaceful take-overs, but I really feel that leaving the people with autonomy will make them less likely to rebel. From what I've seen, most rulers don't care very much for their people. If a people's lives are pretty much the same after Germa 66 takes over, then what do they care who's ruling over them? If their lives aren't any harder than before, then I bet most won't care about there being a change in power. It may even be preferable if Germa 66 allows for there to be peace between all the nations in North Blue."

"I suppose I can see why autonomy would be preferable," Sanji said, taking off his raid suit and sitting on the edge of Nami's bed. Her words about who sits on the throne not mattering struck a little bit of a nerve, but he could see her point. Unless a ruling family gave their people a reason to be loyal to them, unless the royal family did things for the people rather than forcing the people to do things for them, then what would it matter who sat on the throne? Why would a different ruler look any different to them? "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. Only time will tell."

Nami made a small noise that drew his attention to her. "What will happen to you if it doesn't work out? What will Judge do to you?" She had a worried look in her eye that made his heart melt. No one had ever looked at him with concern like that before.

"Don't worry about it," he brushed off. "Even if he's angry, he can't kill me. I'm too useful as a general even if I piss him off. If this doesn't work it'll be more of a problem for . . . us." Because if this didn't work, there was no way Sanji could convince Judge to let him marry Nami.

"Be careful, okay?" Nami said, looking down at her hands. "I love that you're doing this and I'm grateful, but try to be careful."

Sanji grinned, feeling more grateful at Nami's words than he could ever remember feeling. "I will. For your sake, I will."


	25. Dinner Companions

**A/N: **I just realized that this is the third chapter title in this fic that has the word dinner in it. Apparently, I center a lot of this story around mealtime.

**Chapter 25: Dinner Companions **

"I'm glad we can finally have dinner together tonight, Nami," Niji said sliding his foot forward under the table until it brushed against hers. "We've both been so busy that our schedules have never matched up."

"Right," Nami agreed, uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. From the outset of this voyage, Niji had made it clear that he wanted just the two of them to have their meals together in the evening. Thankfully, she'd been too busy drawing maps and he'd been too busy making battle plans. Until now.

Now, they were sitting at a small table in Niji's cabin with candlelight and flowers in between them. It looked like he was trying to court her, which seemed odd since if not for Sanji telling her, she wouldn't even know that she was no longer engaged to him. If Niji was trying to court her, did that mean that she had some say in the matter between marrying him and marrying Yonji? Not that she wanted to marry either of them.

"You should try more of the wine," Niji encouraged. "It's from the lower reaches of North Blue and is some of the finest we have to offer. I'm afraid that your life has been so busy since you've joined Germa that you've not had time to enjoy the finer things that North Blue has to offer. I promise that will change once we've conquered all of North Blue. After that, there will be time to slow down and enjoy life."

Right, except then Nami was pretty sure Germa would be on a non-stop war campaign to stop all the rebellions that would come cropping up. Conquering a land and maintaining that land were two different things and Germa wanted control over a huge area. That was part of why Arlong didn't rule over East Blue. He demonstrated how easily he could kill people and then demanded a living tax in order for the people to be safe from him and his pirates.

"It is excellent," Nami agreed, wondering how long she had to sit in this room before she could claim she needed to get to bed. Since the sun was just barely starting to set, probably not for a while.

As soon as Nami finished her glass of wine, Niji poured her more. She raised an eyebrow, but he just smiled back. Was he hoping to get her drunk? If so, he was in for a surprise. Nami could outdrink any of Arlong's pirates any day.

They were on their fifth bottle of wine, their food long gone, when Niji started laughing. "You're not even the tiniest bit tipsy, are you? You really are an impressive woman."

Nami smirked. "I have my good qualities."

"Mm, that you do," Niji agreed, looking her over.

And there was her cue to leave. Standing, Nami said, "Well, thank you for the meal and the wine, but I think it's time that I go."

"Do you?" Niji asked, not moving.

Nami froze. "It's getting a little late."

"It's not that late yet," Niji said, peering out a window. "Are you just trying to hide that you really are drunk after all that alcohol? If that's the case, then my bed's closer than yours." He gestured toward a closed door at the back of the cabin.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea," Nami said, wondering if Niji would stop her if she tried to leave. She had the feeling the answer to that question was yes.

"Why not?" Niji asked, standing and stepping toward her. Taking off his gloves, he cupped the back of her neck, then frowned, running his thumb over the still healing cut on the side of her neck. "Ichiji should have been more careful with you. I can't believe that idiot let an enemy get ahold of you. What would we have done if we'd lost you?"

Then Niji bent down and gently kissed the cut.

"N-Niji?" Nami stuttered.

"I would never let you be harmed like that," Niji muttered against her neck, his hand still gripping her and holding her in place. "I would never let you be taken." He kissed her neck again, then again, kissing a line up her neck and along her jaw.

She tried to move back, but his grip was too strong. Now he was looking into her eyes. "I don't think you've heard the good news yet," he murmured, pulling her closer to him. "Father has decided to break your engagement to Sanji because he's clearly not good enough for you. You'll be marrying either Yonji or me instead. Whichever of us works better with you."

"I had heard," Nami said coldly. "Sanji told me. And I disagree that he's not good enough for me." At least not when comparing him to his brothers he wasn't.

Niji laughed. "Don't tell me you were looking forward to marrying that weakling? I promise you, I'm much stronger than him."

"And do you think that's the only thing that matters?"

Niji blinked down at her in confusion. Clearly, he did think that was the only thing that mattered. Using his confusion against him, she disentangled herself from him and went to cabin door. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "Clearly, you haven't spent much time around women." Then she left.

~.~

Nami never thought she would miss making maps for Arlong, but she wished she could go back to the days where all she did was make maps. It was so much easier than being courted by princes. Who would have ever thought the day would come when she would complain about being courted by princes? If only they were just princes and not also generals in a bloodthirsty army, then the situation would be far more bearable.

"Let's have a toast," Yonji, Nami's current dinner companion, suggested. "To our past success and to good things to come."

"Right," Nami said quietly, clinking her glass with his.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning. "Aren't you please with the success we've had? The entire eastern half of North Blue has been conquered."

"I don't really see how that affects me," Nami said. She just couldn't make herself pretend to be excited about conquering others, but maybe she could at least pretend that Germa's actions didn't bother her. "Whether the eastern half of North Blue has been conquered or not, my role is still the same. Making maps to help with conquest."

Yonji smiled and put his hand over hers. "Are you that impatient for North Blue to be united? I promise, it'll happen before you know it. Especially if you and I continue to work so closely together."

Nami shook her head. "That won't matter. Even after North Blue is united under Germa 66, I'll still need to take trips to make maps for Arlong. That was part of Judge's and Arlong's deal. I won't be done until Arlong has maps of the rest of the seas."

Yonji frowned. He'd already been envisioning what their life would be like once North Blue was united under Germa's flag. That vision did not include his future wife regularly leaving in service to some pirate. It would be beneath a princess of Germa 66 to serve anyone other than Germa 66.

"How did someone of your high talents end up working for a low-life pirate to begin with?" he asked.

"They took over my village," Nami admitted when no lie that she felt would satisfy Yonji came to mind. The only lies she could think of revolved around money, but, clearly from her talents, she could have made money as a navigator anywhere. It didn't have to be as a pirate.

"And then Arlong forced you to be his navigator?" Yonji asked, tilting his head. "Why didn't you just run away? Surely, your knowledge of the waters was good enough that you could have."

"Running away in the sea from a fishman isn't the same as running away from a normal man," Nami pointed out dryly. "And I couldn't run because I had people depending on me."

Yonji sat back in his chair, clearly confused. "What do you mean you had people depending on you?"

"I had people depending on me for protection. Arlong would have ravaged my whole island to get me to do what he wanted."

"So? What does that have to do with you?"

Nami blinked. She was pretty sure that Judge would win the award for worst father for raising such twisted boys. "They were depending on me," she said slowly. "Shouldn't you know what that's like as a prince? Your people depend on you, don't they? For protection from invaders, for the enforcement of law. Things like that. What would you do if someone held your people for ransom and said he'd kill them unless you did what he wanted?"

Yonji's answering smirk oozed arrogance. "I'm their prince. They should be pleased to die for my sake."

"Then what good are you?" As usual, the words were out before she'd really thought about them.

"Excuse me?" He still seemed confused, but was trending toward angry.

"I mean, why should your people be pleased to die for you if you've done nothing for them? You asked why I would care if Arlong ravaged my village. I care because those people helped raise me. Because they lent me maps and books of the sea when I wanted to learn how to be a navigator. Because they gave my sister and I food when we would have starved otherwise. Because they bound up my scrapes when I got hurt. But what have you done to make your people loyal to you? What have you done for them?" Nami was able to keep her voice neutral as she spoke and she hoped that would help keep Yonji from getting angry. Luckily, he still seemed more confused than angry.

"I'm a prince of the Germa Kingdom. I've gained kingdom after kingdom for my people. With every war campaign I lead, I prove my greatness."

"You've gained kingdoms for your people?" Nami asked with raised eyebrows. "I thought you were gaining kingdoms for your father. Has anyone other than the royal family benefited from the land and wealth that you've acquired?"

Yonji seemed stumped by her words. Wasn't the Germa Kingdom renowned for their science? Weren't the princes supposed to be intelligent? Though maybe they could only understand things that didn't require emotional reasoning.

"Honor to the royal family is honor to all of Germa," Yonji finally said, looking pleased with himself. "We are Germa 66 and Germa 66 is us. Our conquests are also the conquests of our people. You'll understand once you're a princess."

Nami rather suspected that she wouldn't.

~.~

When Nami was next assigned to travel with Ichiji, it was the first time she was relieved to be going with him. At least he ignored her unless he needed to speak with her.

"Invading from the South appears to be the natural choice, doesn't it?" Ichiji asked.

It took Nami a moment to realize that Ichiji was speaking to her. "Huh?" she asked, looking up from her maps, then looking out over the country before them. "Well . . . that is certainly the best place for a sneak attack," she said slowly. "But from what you've said, this country's military is highly organized. An attack from the rear of the capital would give you the element of surprise, but it sounds like they would quickly adapt to that. On the other hand, if you split your forces and attacked from the front first, then from the back and sides, it might cause more chaos and confusion in the enemy's armies."

Ichiji stared at her. "Have you been studying warfare?"

"I—" She and Sanji had spent several nights discussing how his forces could take over kingdoms with the least amount of bloodshed possible. The tactics he'd used in Gimbo were the most preferable, but, if that wouldn't work, then the best thing to do was to hit the country hard and fast, before they had time to mount a defense. "Sort of."

He made a noise she didn't know how to interpret, then said, "I suppose that looking into such things is fitting for a bride of the Germa royal family. You'll dine with me tonight." That said, he flipped his cape and strode to the helm of the ship.

Nami gaped as she watched him walk away. Really? A third dinner 'invitation'? At least Ichiji wouldn't do anything weird like his brothers.

At least, that was what Nami thought until she saw a red dress laying on her bed that evening. Since she hadn't packed any red dresses, clearly that meant she was supposed to wear the dress to dinner. But why? Why in the world would Ichiji pick out a dress for her to wear? Was it to thank her for her suggestion earlier? Was it meant as a gesture of peace because he wanted to work better with her, as Judge had requested all his sons do?

She glared at the dress, as though daring it to tell her she had to wear it. After a short standoff, she decided to put the dress on. Some battles against the Vinsmokes were worth fighting, and some were not. Ichiji could do worse things to her then demand she wear a pretty dress to dinner.

~.~

"You look good in red," Ichiji announced at dinner. "It's the color you were wearing when you first arrived at Germa 66."

"Thank you," Nami said, trying not to make it sound like a question. She thought Ichiji was staring at her, but it was difficult to tell with his glasses on, and she certainly couldn't tell what kind of a look he was giving her.

He cleared his throat. "When you return to the main ship, I've arranged for you to begin taking etiquette lessons. As a future royal of Germa 66, you must learn the proper way to compose yourself at all times."

"Right," Nami agreed. Was that the point of the dress? Ichiji felt that a royal should always dress fancy for dinner? Maybe this was all just about him coming to terms with the fact that she would, at some point, become part of his family, so he'd decided that rather than resent it, he should make sure she didn't do anything to embarrass the Vinsmokes.

Ichiji spent the rest of their dinner lecturing her on etiquette and telling her of things she needed to correct. While it was annoying and made her want to stab a fork into his hand, at least it was better than him hitting on her like Niji and Yonji did.

After the meal, Nami properly excused herself, resisting the urge to sink her heel into Ichiji's toes as she did so. When she reached the door, Ichiji called, "Nami." Gritting her teeth, she turned back, wondering what she'd forgotten to do or messed up now. He was quiet for a moment before saying, "You really do look best in red."

He turned away after that, so Nami left, a frown on her face as she pondered over her weird dinner. It wasn't until she reached her room that she realized he'd called her by her name for the first time.


	26. Announcement

**Chapter 26: Announcement **

Sanji resisted the urge to tug at the collar of his suit as he walked to his father's office. Judge had spies everywhere and tugging would be a sign of nervousness, which could also be a sign of guilt. And he had nothing to feel guilty over. He was still following his father's commands, he was just doing it his own way.

Still, he'd nearly broken out into a sweat when a servant had told Sanji his father wanted to speak with him.

Had Judge found out about Sanji's new tactics? No rebellions had broken out as far as he knew, but maybe Judge had heard something that Sanji hadn't. Maybe one of his men had talked about the odd tactics he was now using and word had gotten back to his father.

Upon reaching his father's office, he threw back his shoulders. No matter what, he would go in with his head held high and defend his choices. If Nami could stand up to Ichiji with no allies, then Sanji could stand up to his father with no allies. It was a good analogy. The difference in power between he and his father was probably comparable to the difference in power between Nami and Ichiji.

Sanji threw open the office doors. "You wanted to see me?"

Judge leaned back in his seat and stared at him. Time ticked by without him saying anything.

"Did the servant get it wrong?" Sanji finally asked. "Was he supposed to bring one of my brothers instead?"

"No," Judge said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm just trying to figure out what's different about you."

"Different?" Sanji asked, wondering where this conversation was going. Was Judge about to accuse him of being weak? Of being soft and unable to retain the territories he conquered?

"Yes," Judge said, breaking out in a grin. "Did you know that not a single rebellion has happened in your territories during the past two months? Not even Ichiji has managed a record like that. What are you doing differently?"

Sanji's heart beat double time in fear even as he mentally reassured himself that Judge wasn't angry with him. He was pleased with him. It was an unusual state of affairs.

Remembering that this was exactly what he wanted, exactly what he and Nami needed, he explained, "Nami and I have been coming up with battle tactics together. I've been implementing them for the past two months. Everything has been going well, so I'm pleased to hear that the results are good enough to meet with your approval."

"It's been your work with Nami that's made the difference, you say," Judge mused, rubbing his chin. "I wonder why your brothers haven't been taking her input in the same way."

"I don't imagine that they'd think to ask a woman other than Reiju for her opinions on war," Sanji said dryly, then added, "Sir." Judge never took kindly to his three favorite sons being disparaged.

Judge went silent again. "I'm having a meeting with your brothers now. I had planned to send you away before that, but since your great success has been due to working with Nami . . ."

Sanji fought a frown. Why would the fact that his success involved Nami make it so he needed to be present for this meeting? Did that mean that Judge had chosen who he wanted Nami to marry? His heart rate picked up again.

~.~

Sanji clenched his fists on as lap as he sat around a table with his three brothers. Did any of them know what this meeting was about? Or were they in the dark as much as he was?

Judge beamed at his sons. "The work of all four of you has been amazing these past few months. Never have there been finer generals in all the history of the Vinsmoke family. We should reach the goal I set of uniting all of North Blue within two years of Nami joining us, perhaps even sooner."

"Nami and I make an unbeatable team," Yonji said, causing Sanji to clench his fists underneath the table. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to him before now what, if anything, Niji and Yonji might be trying with Nami now that she might become engaged to one of them. He made a mental note to ask her about that. In a way that hopefully wouldn't piss her off.

"You?" Niji sneered. "You got lucky. I'm the one who finally settled the rebellions off in the South thanks to Nami's aid."

"Calm down," Judge said, patting the air in a calming gesture. "You've all performed admirably. I'm pleased with all of you. What I want to discuss today relates to how well you've all been doing in your conquering, and to the growing prestige of Germa's navigator."

"None of the men question her anymore," Yonji said with a nod. "They all understand that when it comes to navigation, she knows best."

"And they know that our increased rate of success comes from her," Ichiji added. "Even kingdoms outside of Germa are realizing that the change took place after Nami joined our ranks."

"Indeed," Judge agreed. "Nami's prowess is growing and Ichiji and I have discussed the implications this has for the future. Niji, you are the one who pointed out to me that Nami will be a hero of our people, and that is already coming true. No other woman will ever be able to compare to her in the eyes of our people. This, along with her role in uniting North Blue under Germa 66, is an argument that she should be queen."

Niji and Yonji immediately started yelling out protests.

"Quiet, QUIET!" Judge demanded. The pair settled back in their chairs, mutinous looks on their faces. "My opinion that Nami should marry whoever works best with her has not changed."

Yonji sat forward, a look of wonder on his face. "You're saying that whoever marries Nami will be king?" he asked, throwing a sidelong glance at Ichiji. Their oldest brother's face was expressionless.

"Yes," Judge said. "Germa, like many other nations, has a tradition that the oldest son becomes king, but what's most important is that North Blue is united under the Vinsmoke family with a ruler who the people can rely on. Yes, Nami will be a hero to our people, and whoever she's most closely associated with will likely receive the most glory. The thought crossed my mind for a second to have her marry Ichiji, but, this close to our goal, I'm unwilling to risk anything going wrong. Nami will marry whoever works best with her and he will become king. If that is Ichiji, then it will be Ichiji. If it is Yonji that it will be Yonji."

"Does this include me then?" Sanji asked. Niji's and Yonji's grins slipped away as they gave Sanji disbelieving looks. "After our earlier conversation, you decided to include me in this meeting. Does that mean I'm back in the running for Nami's hand in marriage?"

"You?" Yonji snorted. "The weakest of us? You think you're good enough to be king?"

Normally when Sanji's brothers derided him, he got angry or sulked. This time, he stared Yonji down. Yonji gritted his teeth, wondering where Sanji' attitude was coming from Did he really believe that he could compete with the rest of them? That he could possibly be their equal or surpass them?

"Sanji's performance has been as impressive as the rest of yours," Judge said calmly. "So, yes, he is back in the running."

~.~

"I am sorry that things didn't work out between you and Sanji," Reiju told Nami as Nami looked through old maps in Germa's library.

Nami froze. Had Reiju discovered that she and Sanji hadn't given up on him being the one she married? "Like it matters," she brushed off. "Either way, it's an arranged marriage. It doesn't make much difference which brother it is, right?"

"Maybe not, but for a little bit, I thought . . . that maybe you two would be really good together. But I guess that was just my own hopes showing."

Reiju sounded so sad that Nami looked up from the maps she was studying. Reiju stood on the other side of the table, her head cast down.

"What the hell is your game?" Nami demanded, slamming her hands on the table. She was fed up with Reiju's back and forth of seeming like she was on Sanji's side, then seeming like she was spying on Sanji and Nami. "Why do you keep involving yourself in this? Why won't you leave me alone?"

To Nami's surprise, Reiju looked guilty.

"I'm sorry," she said, taking a seat. She stared down at her hands on the table. "I wanted to make sure you were a good person before I was honest with you, so I've been trying to feel you out. Since you were a pirate, I wasn't sure. I scoured the papers for any references to you before you came here, and couldn't find anything bad. I was hopeful that meant you were a good person."

Nami narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, still not seeing why you care or why you won't leave me alone."

"Sorry," Reiju said with a wince. "I'm not explaining myself very well." She should have approached Nami after Nami's conversation with Sanji went sour, when she realized that Nami didn't want to serve the Germa kingdom any more than she did, but, since things were going so poorly with Sanji, Reiju didn't think there was a point in speaking with Nami then. She should have reached out anyway.

Reiju sighed. "You've seen my father's obsession with conquering and uniting all of North Blue. It's an obsession that extended even to modifying his own children."

"I know," Nami said shortly. "Sanji already told me."

"He told you?!" Reiju said, her gaze jumping to Nami's. She wanted to ask when, but that wasn't really the point. "I . . . so I guess you know that the modifications only partially worked on Sanji. He was such a kind boy when he was young, but our father did his best to beat it out of him. I hated watching Sanji lose himself, lose all the aspects of our mother that he used to have. When I heard about his engagement, I hoped that by some miracle that he would be engaged to a woman who could help him find himself again, rediscover who he was back when our mother was still alive."

Reiju couldn't read Nami's cool expression. Had she made a mistake in confiding to her?

"So you care that your brother is a kind, good man, but you don't feel that the same rules apply to yourself?" Nami asked, tilting her head.

"What?" Reiju asked, blinking.

"Your brothers were modified to dampen their emotions. You weren't. It sounds like you don't want Sanji to be like your brothers since he has the capacity to be better. But what about you? _You _don't have the same emotional modifications as your brothers, yet you're the same as them from everything that I can tell. _I'm _here because Arlong will slaughter my village if I don't do what he wants. Why are you here, Reiji?"

A chill went down Reiji's spine at the look on Nami's face. This was the first time Reiju had been forced to confront the decisions she'd made. At least, the first time she had to confront it with someone other than herself.

"I don't have the emotional modifications," she admitted and pointed to her brain. "But I do have modifications that allow my father to control me if I don't do as he pleases." Nami paled at her words. "I assure you, I'm not proud of anything I've done in my life. Ever. I know I've made weak choices. I decided to give in and be the monster my father wanted rather than let him force me into it. And I never stood up for Sanji either, not in front of our brothers or father. If I was going to live this life, I at least didn't want to be completely miserable in it."

She stared down at her hands again. "I . . . guess that I feel like if I can save Sanji, then maybe it will redeem me at least a little bit. If there was anything I could have done to help you and Sanji, then I wanted to do it. But I guess it's too late for that now."

Nami bit her lip. Reiju looked so depressed, so ashamed. Nami felt bad for talking down to her. "Sanji and I . . . are trying to change Judge's mind about who I marry," she admitted. "We've been talking together in secret."

"You are?" Reiju asked, her face brightening. "That's wonderful! Please, let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Uh, sure," Nami agreed, though she wondered if Reiju would really be willing to stick her neck out for her and Sanji when it appeared she'd never been willing to do it for Sanji before.


End file.
